


Strange Bedfellows

by marieadriana



Series: ARROW, Inc. [14]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Developing Friendships, Howard Stark was a bad man, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Battle of New York (Marvel), Rape Recovery, Science Bros
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2020-03-27 15:58:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 81,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19016104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marieadriana/pseuds/marieadriana
Summary: Recovering from an alien invasion is a group affair.  Tony extends an invitation to the Avengers and Phil Coulson's people, and winds up hosting one big superhero slumber party at Stark Tower.  It's amazing, isn't it, how close people can become... and how quickly?  (Takes place May 4, 2012 - May 19, 2012)





	1. Chapter 1

It was a very tired group that tromped into Stark Tower’s lobby in the late afternoon. Tony had chosen to walk with them – though it would have been faster to fly ahead – out of a sense of camaraderie. Steve was still carrying the sleeping – or unconscious, it was a narrow line – druid. Bruce staggered occasionally, pausing to lean against battered walls. Erik trailed behind them looking confused and lost.

“So. Welcome to Stark Tower,” Tony said, gesturing broadly. He stepped out of the Iron Man suit, letting it remain there in the lobby. He’d deal with it later, or JARVIS would. And speaking of… “JARVIS, introduce yourself to our guests.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at the room as he shifted Catriona in his arms, and then had to fight the reflex to jump like a scalded cat when a voice intoned from the ceiling, “The pleasure is mine, Captain Rogers, Doctor Banner, Doctor Selvig, Lady Catriona. While you are in the Tower, please consider me at your disposal.”

“Huh.” Bruce looked up towards the source of the sound. “Fully functional AI?”

“I am,” JARVIS answered, before Tony could. The eccentric billionaire beamed like a proud father.

“Your building talks,” Steve said blankly. God, could today get any weirder – aliens and magic and druids and – he wished he could still get drunk. Really drunk, the kind of drunk he’d only managed once or twice with Buck to watch his back and – and thinking of Bucky wasn’t making the shocks of the day any easier to take.

“He does more than talk,” Tony chuckled. “He basically runs the building, and the suits. He’s my copilot, right J?”

“That is indeed my primary function, Sir – to my unending delight.”

Tony’s grin widened. “You’ll get along with him fine, Spangles – he’s as sassy as you are.” Tony led them to the elevator bank. “Which floors other than the penthouse can be made comfortable, J?”

“I would suggest your workshop level, Sir. There are food supplies laid in, and ample space for a… nest.”

“Right.” Tony nodded once. “Steve, you got enough juice left to haul mattresses and crap around, or do I need to put the suit back on?”

Steve shifted Catriona in his arms again, leaning against the wall of the elevator. “If you show me where, I can carry it.” Eating had restored some of his energy, though he knew it was only temporary. “Somebody has to stay with Lady Catriona while I do that, though.”

“I’ll mind the lass,” Erik offered. He’d been trying to be inconspicuous, but this was a duty he didn’t mind volunteering for – and she was such a tiny thing that he didn’t think it would be a problem to care for her. 

Bruce ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll help with the bedding, and then I’d really like a shower and something to change into.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Steve sighed.

Tony tilted his head back, thinking. “I’ve got clothes here, but they won’t fit either of you. Some of Pep’s stuff might fit the pixie… she’ll drown in it, but – ”

“Why’d you call her that?” Steve asked.

“Umm…” Tony raised an eyebrow. “Clint called her that, in the shawarma restaurant. It seemed appropriate, she’s like a little Tinkerbell.” He shrugged. “If it bothers her, she’ll let me know.”

Steve raised an eyebrow in return. “And do you always listen, when a nickname bugs someone?”

The engineer shrugged. “If it’s the serious, real kind of upset – yeah.” Tony looked more closely at Steve. “Why, did I use one on you that you didn’t like?”

“Not… not bad enough to ask you not to use it.” Steve smiled a little. “I’ve been called worse.” The names that Tony called him reminded him of things Bucky – or the Howlies – would have used. “If you manage to stumble on one that I genuinely can’t stand, I’ll let you know.”

Bruce nudged Tony’s shoulder with his own. “I don’t mind any of the ones you’ve used for me, either.” He yawned and tried to cover it.

“Anyway,” Tony continued, evading the almost-emotion in those statements. “There’s a gift shop on the ground floor. I bet there’s sweats in your sizes.”

“You also asked that Colonel Rhodes’s suite be stocked with appropriate off-duty apparel,” JARVIS interjected. “My scans indicate that they should fit Doctor Selvig and Doctor Banner.”

Tony nodded. “Right then. I’ll show you guys where you can get mattresses and linens, and then I’ll run and find stuff to change into while Doctor Selvig keeps Sparkle from melting down, yeah?”

“That sounds fine,” Erik agreed, “but please, call me Erik.”

“I’ll start with that, but we all know I won’t stick to just your name for very long,” Tony said solemnly.

~ * ~

Once everyone was showered and dressed in clean clothing (though getting a nearly asleep Catriona to wake long enough to shower was an adventure in itself), they settled down on the odd nest that had been built in the open area of Tony’s workshop. Two queen mattresses had been pushed together, covered with expensive Egyptian cotton sheets and a dozen pillows apiece. Catriona immediately crawled to the center of one of the mattresses, curling herself into a tight ball. Steve lay down on the outside edge of the mattress, turning on his side to face Catriona. “I don’t want to crowd you,” he said quietly. “I know you need contact, but I don’t know what you’re comfortable with.”

In response, she scooted closer to him. “Pretend I am laoch beag – Misty,” she yawned. 

Steve thought about that a moment, then sat up and patted several pillows into place. He reclined comfortably against them before sliding his arm around Catriona’s shoulders, tugging her to rest her head on his torso. “That okay, doll?”

“Mmmhmm.” She yawned again. 

Bruce flopped onto the foot of the mattress, shifting until his back was against Catriona’s feet. She made a soft sound of contentment that made him smile. Less than ten minutes later, he was asleep.

Tony made a similar pile of pillows on Catriona’s other side, a StarkPad in his hand. He scooted closer until he could press his thigh along her back. “Still okay?”

“Very.” Catriona let out a long, low sigh and seemed to fall back asleep. Tony felt a wash of protective fondness that he didn’t entirely understand, but decided to roll with it.

Erik lay down on the far side of the second mattress, not touching Tony. He too was soon sleeping – if the snoring was anything to judge by.

“Not going to sleep?” Steve asked softly. He looked over Catriona’s sleeping form to make eye contact with Tony.

“Not yet. There’s things to take care of for SI – Stark Industries – and I want to get some plans started for the remodel here.” Tony gestured at the building. “I’m used to getting by on very little sleep.”

Steve mulled that over. “Just because you can keep going doesn’t mean you have to.”

“Pot, kettle,” Tony retorted absently.

“Fair.” Steve was silent several minutes. “Tony… I owe you an apology.”

Tony looked up from the StarkPad and frowned at Steve. “I don’t do apologies. They’re boring,” he said, and turned his attention back to the Tower renovations.

“Look, I need to do this,” Steve insisted. “I just – blame it on being raised Catholic. Let me say it. You don’t have to accept it, I just need to say it.”

“Great, I’m being ninth stepped by a fucking normie,” Tony muttered. “Fine. I’ll listen. No guarantees on acceptance.”

Steve held back his sigh of relief but did quirk a small smile at Tony. “I understood that reference.” Tony looked – surprised? worried? – but Steve barreled on. “I’m sorry for what I said on the helicarrier. I was out of line. I got no cause to think you’d give any less than your best to the team.” It obviously cost him something to make that admission. “I was just… afraid you were more like your father.”

“I think you misspoke there, Capsicle.” Tony looked away again, not willing to meet the eyes of the man whose example he’d been held up against – and always found wanting. He was glad they were keeping their voices low – not wanting to wake their companions – because it enabled him to hide most of the emotion in his tone.

“What…”

“I get that he was your friend, and it’s probably weird to work with me,” Tony began. “But he and I didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye, so don’t expect any warm trips down memory lane with me—”

Steve had been staring at him in shock since he spoke, but eventually managed to croak, “Friend? Howard Stark was no friend of mine!”

Tony blinked. Carefully, he set down the StarkPad. “He talked about you all the time,” Tony said. “Hell, he funded fifty years of expeditions to find your fucking corpse. And you’re telling me he wasn’t your friend?”

“He wasn’t!” Steve blurted. “He was an obsessed fan who tried to blackmail me into having sex with him!”

“JARVIS,” Tony said calmly. “Has Captain Rogers been exposed to any hallucinogenic compounds?”

“No, Sir.”

“I’m not impaired,” Steve said, rubbing a hand over his face. “I thought – I thought you knew. I thought that’s why you were so… angry at me.” His shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. Nobody needs to hear that about their father. I guess I botched this apology.”

Tony wished he had a cup of coffee – or something stronger – anything to do with his hands. They were shaking, but he ignored it. “So, you’re telling me that he was always a bastard?”

“I… what?”

“Howard.” Tony didn’t meet Steve’s eyes, staring down at his hands. “He was always a manipulative and selfish bastard? Not… it wasn’t something… I did?”

It was Steve’s turn to blink. “God, no.” His hand came up to grasp Tony’s shoulder. “I don’t know what happened between you and him… I can make some guesses. But he was definitely already manipulative.” He blew out a breath. “Caught me in a compromising position and threatened to go to Colonel Phillips about it if I didn’t… do as he wished.” Caught him with Bucky, in point of fact – in flagrante delicto, as it were. The threat to his own reputation didn’t faze Steve – but he wouldn’t stand to have Bucky’s name dragged through the mud with a blue discharge.

“Did you?” The question fell out of his mouth before he could think about it, and Tony looked away. “You don’t have to answer that.”

“I didn’t.” He might have folded eventually – but when Bucky died, it ceased to be important. Steve wouldn’t have cared if Howard had taken out a full-page ad in the New Yorker to tell everybody – nothing had mattered, with Bucky gone. And not long after that, he’d put the Valkyrie in the ice.

Something unwound in Tony. Good. That was good. He didn’t know how he’d handle the idea of his father having – well, it would have been sexual assault, wouldn’t it? Coercing someone into bed? Fuck. His father had tried to force Captain America into bed. And when he’d failed at that, spent the rest of his life obsessing over the man, pretending they’d had a solid friendship, and telling his son he’d never measure up. Tony shuddered, nausea rising. Never measure up against the man he’d tried to blackmail into – God, Howard had been so fucked up. 

But it hadn’t been his fault.

“You don’t owe me an apology,” Tony said softly. “I’ll accept it because it matters to you – but I didn’t need one.” He did, though, need something else – desperately. “Can you hold down the fort for a couple of hours?”

Steve looked surprised. “Yeah? What – Tony, are you okay?”

“I was going to wait until everybody was asleep, but… I need to go out.” He lifted his eyes from his hands to meet Steve’s worried gaze. “You said you knew what I meant, when I said the ninth step?” Steve nodded slowly. “I need a meeting.”

“Can you find one right now?” Steve asked. “They weren’t – there was only a few, back…”

“There’s a good one at seven. It’s not far from here.” Tony plucked at the fabric of his sweat pants.

“Alright.” Steve nodded decisively. “You do what you need to do. I’ll take care of… our friends.” He patted Catriona’s hair, nodded towards Bruce and Erik. 

Tony let out a long breath. “Thanks.” He started to extricate himself from the nest, careful not to disturb the sleepers.

Steve smiled a little. “Don’t mention it. And… I won’t mention it, either. I. Um. I know what the second ‘A’ stands for, too.”

Charmed more than he wanted to admit, Tony patted the top of Steve’s head as he passed. “My sobriety isn’t a secret, Steve-o. God willing, I’ll hit a year at the end of this month.”

“That’s really great,” Steve said, tipping his head back to keep Tony in sight. “I mean that. Ma used to talk a lot about how hard it was for drunks to get dry. She worked some at Calvary Episcopal Church – she liked what she heard of the Oxford Group there.” He smiled again, a soft wistful expression. “I looked it up – well, Misty helped me look it up – when we were talkin’ about mental health.”

“You have unplumbed depths, young Padawan.” Tony patted his head again. “And if Misty hasn’t explained that reference to you yet, I call dibs.”

~ * ~


	2. Chapter 2

Thor enjoyed flying via Mjolnir. There was a sense of power by that method of travel that he did not feel other ways – hurtling through the sky by only his hammer and his will was superior to any conveyance he had ever tried.

It was a bit on the chilly side, he had to admit. He could appreciate that Lady Jane and Darcy would not wish to travel this way, on the return journey. He would get word to Stark – Tony – that a jet would be welcome for that leg. Perhaps he would dispatch Chief Coulson’s fledgling. Thor thought he’d like the youngling, given the chance… but there was a skittishness in the boy’s gaze that Thor did not care for, and did not think was just a result of his youth.

His mind was full of the coming reunion with his Lady Jane. It had been nearly a year as Midgard reckoned time – how would she have changed? He could only anticipate she had gotten more beautiful. She was truly a mate worthy of becoming Queen – strong of spirit and bright of mind. Though he had yet to share more with her than a single chaste kiss, he yearned for her as a husband for his wife.

He had no difficulty locating the observatory in Tromso, despite its remote location. He wondered idly if he’d been announced – Lady Catriona could have passed word through Gaia of his plans – but decided ultimately it did not matter.

Thor landed just outside the front gate of the complex and hung Mjolnir from his belt. On foot now, and with no weapon to hand, he strode through the gate.

He’d half expected to be met by armed guards – or even by the druid Sir Ronan. He had not anticipated being tackled by a very lively Darcy Lewis.

“Ohmygod, you’re here!” Darcy squealed, leaping into his arms and wrapping hers about his neck. Thor caught her easily by reflex. “I saw you on TV, but I didn’t expect to see you here!”

Laughing, he hugged her tightly. “Of course I am here, sister Darcy!” Thor hugged her around the waist. “I flew from New York, where my compatriots are gathering. I wished to fetch you and Lady Jane to join us.”

Something flickered in Darcy’s eyes that Thor did not understand. “That’s great, big guy. I’d love to get back to the U S of A – I mean, back that way.” She gestured vaguely to the west. “But, like, I don’t know that I want to fly across an ocean with your hammer.”

“No, I would think not.” Thor couldn’t help but smile. It was so good to see her again, to feel her boundless enthusiasm. “I will get word to friend Tony. He offered to send a jet.”

“Tony? Like… like Tony Stark? Iron Man?” Darcy’s eyes lit up. “Seriously?”

“Aye, he has been a boon comrade thus far.” Thor shifted Darcy to hold her more comfortably and started towards the main building. “Can you lead me to Lady Jane, and Sir Ronan?”

Darcy raised an eyebrow. “I can lead you to Doctor Kerr. I think he’s name’s Ronan, but he hasn’t asked us to call him Sir. Jane’s probably with him, she’s been going nuts over some atmospheric data.”

Thor snorted. Trust a druid to use his own name, but not rank… and trust Jane to be buried in data. “That would be fine.”

By her direction, they wound up inside the building near the rear, in a small workspace that was filled with equipment, boards covered in scribbles, and two adults. One he recognized as the druid – the other was his Lady Jane.

Thor set Darcy down on her feet before bowing deeply to Ronan. “I have come to take the ladies home, Sir Ronan – and I thank you for seeing to their safety.”

“It was my pleasure, your Highness.” The druid returned the bow with an elegant flick of his hand. “I shall inform the High Priestess that you have arrived safely, and make arrangements for your transport.”

Jane whirled from where she’d been intent on a data projection. “Thor?!”

He turned to her then, his eyes lighting up. “Jane.” He crossed to her in two large strides, catching her hands and lifting them to his lips. To his surprise, she yanked her hands away. After a moment’s thought, he realized it was indeed too forward of a gesture. “My apologies. I did not mean to take liberties.”

“What are you doing here?” Jane asked, peering up at him. “Why did SHIELD just send someone to pick us up?”

“I wished to do so myself,” Thor admitted. “Then, too, it appears that the others are choosing to break from SHIELD – I did not wish to leave you at their mercy.”

The druid’s eyebrow rose. “Oh, so?” He gave a small, satisfied smile. “Roderick will be glad to hear of that. He was… most distrustful… of Warriors that served that banner.”

“Aye, and well I know it,” Thor agreed, bowing his head respectfully to Ronan. “He has his reasons, as do Chief Coulson and his people.”

“Agent iPod thief is in on this plan?” Darcy interrupted. “Sweet. Maybe I can get my iPod back.”

Thor smiled a little. “He will not be at the Tower when we return. He and his beloveds are taking a sabbatical.”

“Dude, Agent’s poly?” Darcy asked, her eyes wide. “That’s so cool.” She dropped into a chair and twirled it in a circle. “Why are we hurrying back to New York? Just so you can hang out with your superhero pals?”

“I – ” Thor began, then frowned. “We need not rush, if you do not wish it.” He looked to Jane. “I know that your work is important to you. I do not wish to interrupt.”

Jane pursed her lips, and there was something in her expression that Thor did not fully understand. “I might like the chance to work with Stark, but I’ve only been here two days. There’s so much more to study.”

“Of course.” Thor nodded in agreement. “I am certain that friends Tony and Bruce would enjoy working with you – and of course, Erik – ”

“Erik’s in New York?” Jane cut him off sharply. “He was in New Mexico!”

“Uh…” Thor blinked. “Did you not… were they not aware of his involvement?” Thor asked Ronan.

The druid shook his head. “I had not informed them of such, your Highness.”

“What happened?” Jane demanded. 

Well, Thor reckoned as he began to tell the tale of the last two days, this was one way to pass the hours before CJ arrived.

~ * ~

Steve was still awake when Tony crept back into the workshop. He looked up and offered a small smile, gesturing to the space on the other side of Catriona. “Welcome back,” he whispered. “Good meeting?”

“Yeah.” Tony slid back onto the mattress, scooting close enough to Steve to feel the heat coming off him. Almost immediately, the petite redhead shifted so that she was draped half over Steve and half onto Tony, all without waking. It made the engineer huff out a laugh, automatically stroking the curly hair. “God, she’s like a big kitten, isn’t she?”

“Kinda, yeah.” Steve smiled, looking down at her. He was silent as Tony got more comfortable, but it wasn’t awkward. When he spoke again, it was in an even more quiet voice. “I’m half afraid to doze off.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that, Cap?”

“Haven’t had a lot of peaceful nights, since…”

“Ah.” Tony nodded sagely. “Yeah, that I get.” He tapped the arc reactor. “After this – after Afghanistan – I don’t really get them, either. Don’t worry about it, Spangles.”

Steve was quiet another long moment. “I don’t want to upset anybody else, comin’ up swingin’.”

Idly Tony wondered how they’d ever managed to train Steve to suppress that Brooklyn accent. It didn’t show in casual conversation, but any time he was riled up, it crept back. “I can have JARVIS monitor your vitals and start to wake you up if your heartrate goes wonky.” Steve’s eyes shot to his, and Tony shrugged. “He does it for me. Sometimes he can’t get me awake before – before things go sideways, but it helps.”

“That’d be… yeah.” Steve swallowed hard. “It might… be better, with me not alone.” His eyes darted away. “Alone is… hard.” He swallowed again, his eyes burning. “This isn’t… the longest I’ve had to… bunk down alone but… s’the first time I…”

To Tony’s shock, the supersoldier’s eyes welled up with tears. Tony slung an arm around his shoulders and tugged him closer. “Let it out, Steve,” Tony murmured, pressing the blond head into his neck. “It’s okay. Midnight confessions are sacrosanct, I won’t tell anybody.”

Steve huffed out a laugh between quiet sobs. Neither of them paid any mind to how long it took Steve to pull back. “Sorry. That’s… I didn’t mean to…”

“You’re allowed to grieve,” Tony murmured. “It can’t be easy, waking up with… everybody gone.”

Despite Tony’s assurance of discretion, Steve was too used to the secrecy to be entirely candid… but too rattled to be entirely discreet, either. “Tomorrow will be sixty two sunrises without – ” He cut himself off, turning away again. “How do people do this? Go on?”

“I don’t know,” Tony admitted softly. His mind was doing some rapid calculations, though. Steve had only been awake something like two weeks in this century – what had happened two months ago? He was tempted to get up and look at Howard’s notes, but… it would be smarter to let Steve tell him, in his own time. It wasn’t often that Tony made the wiser choice in interpersonal relationships but the despair in Steve’s voice was too much to ignore. “Guess we just… what’s the phrase from the old comic books? Soldier on.”

Steve dropped his head down against the pillows. “Guess so.” He sighed, a broken sound that stung at Tony. “I’m going to try to sleep.”

“Alright.” Tony bumped his shoulder against the supersoldier, careful not to jostle the sleeping Catriona much. He waited until Steve’s breathing evened out before he succumbed to exhaustion himself.

~ * ~

CJ texted Phil’s phone as soon as he landed the StarkJet on the roof of Stark Tower… and wondered idly if the man really had to slap his name on everything he ever built. Evidence pointed to ‘yes.’ Unsure where he was supposed to go next – and already wishing he was back in Iowa safe with Phil – CJ wavered on the ground next to the Jet.

“Sir, Lady Catriona, Captain Rogers, Doctor Banner, and Doctor Selvig are in Sir’s workshop on Sublevel One,” a voice informed him.

“Who the hell are you?” CJ demanded, his hand slapping to a holster he wasn’t wearing. Damn it – he should never have taken the damned gun off.

“My name is JARVIS, and I am the artificial intelligence controlling Stark Tower.” There was a pause, a breath that CJ used to attempt to get his heartrate under control. “My apologies for startling you. You are one of Agent Coulson’s people, I presume?”

“Yeah.” CJ ran a hand through his hair. “CJ Forrester. Can you take me to Catriona?”

“Certainly, Mister Forrester. Please enter the elevator to your right.”

CJ hadn’t noticed the elevator – but he headed for it. “Is there any chance I can get you to call me CJ instead of – that? I really, really hate being called by my last name.” Then… because he was tired, and heartsick from leaving the triad, he continued, “It’s kind of a panic trigger for me, and I can’t deal right now.”

There was a pause. “My apologies again, CJ. I shall make a note of your preference.”

The sharpshooter yawned and stepped into the elevator, unsurprised to see it didn’t have any buttons. Apparently the AI was in charge of everything. “Thanks.” He rubbed his forehead, silent for the long trip from the roof to the basement. The elevator doors opened on a curious sight – a cuddle pile reminiscent of Harry Potter nights at the dojo, but with the wrong people. CJ’s heart squeezed. By the Goddess, he missed everybody… but at least the pixie was here.

Catriona stirred, lifting her head up off of Tony’s chest to look blankly towards the elevator. “Faireoir?”

“It’s me,” he confirmed, stepping closer. She squirmed off Tony and Steve – waking both of them in the process – and stepped over Bruce’s sleeping form to pull CJ into a hug. He was stiff in her arms at first, but yielded with a long sigh. “Hi,” he mumbled into her hair. She pulled back to look at his face, lifting her hand to stroke his cheeks. “Sorry, I – can’t.” He leaned back, away from her touch. “Sorry, I’m… I’m at my limit right now.”

She released him immediately. “I do beg your pardon.” Catriona flushed. She did not usually forget his limitations – but she was so very glad to see him.

Steve sat up, his eyes on CJ. “Get them there safely?”

“Yeah.” CJ looked down at his feet. “Snug in the farmhouse and already hugging the stuffing out of Clint’s sister-in-law when I left. They’ll be fine.”

Catriona resisted the urge to sweep him into another hug and instead held up one finger. With a faint smile, he touched the pad of his index finger to hers. “Ronan sent word through Mother that the Prince would like conveyance back,” the druid said into the quiet.

Tony sat up as well, scrubbing at his face. “I don’t have anybody in Norway at the moment. You wanna fly over and pick up Point Break and his playmates, kid?”

“That sounds like a bad band name.” CJ rubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah. Give me like, two jumbo cups of coffee and then I’m good. Jet needs refueling anyway, right?”

“I’ll have a bot do it.” Tony waved a hand, reaching for his StarkPad.

On the second mattress, Erik stirred. “You’re flying to Jane?” he asked.

“Looks like it,” CJ agreed.

“Got room for me?”

Shrugging, CJ looked between Erik and Tony. “I don’t give a crap who’s on the plane. I just fly it.”

“I like you, kid,” Tony said. He stretched and looked at the time on his StarkPad. “Hell, it’s not even midnight. You made good time.”

“It’s a sweet plane.” CJ brushed off the compliment – just as Tony would have, if the roles were reversed. “Coffee?”

Tony pointed towards the almost full-size kitchen in the rear corner of the lab. “Knock yourself out.” He was already absorbed by the data on his StarkPad, plotting out a course for Tromso and sending the directions to the jet. 

Erik hauled himself off the bed and followed CJ towards the coffee. He didn’t bother to make conversation – just found a mug and held it out for CJ to pour into. The sharpshooter did. They stood next to each other in silence.

Catriona rubbed her eyes. Almost six hours of sleep was not enough. “C’mon,” Steve chuckled, patting his chest. “You need more rest, doll.” If the endearment bothered her, she didn’t show it – just crawled back onto the mattress and resumed her position between – mostly atop – Tony and Steve.

Absently, Tony petted the curly red hair with one hand as he held the StarkPad with the other. “Alright, kid. Flight plan is uploaded to the jet, and JARVIS tells me it’s all fueled up. Soon as you are, you can take off.” He looked down, realizing Catriona was already asleep again. “Be careful, would you? I don’t want to tell Agent that I got his favorite pet killed.”

“I’m not his pet,” CJ objected mildly. He’d put up with a lot from Tony Stark – because that plane was a beauty and a joy to fly, and because Phil seemed to trust him – but some things were a bridge too far. “Besides, it isn’t Phil you’ve got to worry about.” He slugged back the last of his second cup of coffee. “It’s his wife.”

Tony shivered. “Not sure who I’d give better odds to, really.”

CJ grinned. “C’mon, Doc,” he said, gesturing to Erik. “Let’s take to the skies… while Tony there debates which death would be more painful: Phil’s murder by a thousand paper cuts… or Natasha’s stealth castration.”

“Or Clint making him into a pincushion,” Steve suggested with a chuckle.

~ * ~


	3. Chapter 3

The hands on her very expensive watch were just kissing two o’clock when Pepper stepped through the doors of Stark Tower. “Welcome back, Miss Potts,” JARVIS said quietly.

“Thanks, JARVIS.” She closed her eyes briefly, drawing in a slow breath. “Where is he?”

“Sir is in the workshop.”

Of course he is, Pepper thought. Not the bedroom – God forbid he do the responsible thing and rest after the stunt he pulled today. He was probably down there upgrading the suit for travel to outer space. With another deep breath, Pepper stalked across the building towards the elevator, her red-soled shoes clicking sharply on the marble.

In the elevator, she leaned back against the wall and tried to calm herself. It wouldn’t do her any good to scream at him, no matter how much he deserved it. No matter how angry she was at him for flying into the portal – or that he’d tried to call her as he had. (She was even more furious with herself for missing the call.) It would probably take every bit of her wiles to pry him out of the shop tonight… she remembered those nights after Afghanistan and again after the Expo. Tony hadn’t slept so much as lapsed into unconsciousness when his body gave out. It had been weeks before she’d convinced him to lie down in bed with her, to even attempt regular sleep – and he’d been plagued by nightmares that threatened to turn her stomach just by proxy. 

Hell, she wouldn’t be surprised if he were drunk – disappointed, but not surprised.

The elevator doors opened, and Pepper’s first thought was that JARVIS had sent her to the wrong floor… because it was quiet. And dim.

Creeping out of the elevator, she tried to spot her boyfriend/boss. It shouldn’t be difficult – the glow from the arc reactor was hard to miss in this low light.

But that glow was… blocked. Obstructed. 

It took Pepper some time to realize what she was seeing. Mattresses, occupied mattresses. Four people – three men and a… was that a child? She was so tiny. Pepper recognized Rogers and Banner, of course… though she was not supposed to have seen the briefing materials Coulson had brought Tony. She didn’t recognize the tiny redhead… and thought she probably ought to. Given that said redhead was draped over both Rogers and Tony – and was Tony actually touching Rogers? – and had her head pillowed just to the side of the arc reactor.

And if that wasn’t enough – one tiny, porcelain hand was curled up on top of it.

She had no idea how long she stood there, watching them sleep. Watching Tony sleep – restfully, quietly, peacefully. Words she could rarely use to describe him. He looked so damned serene that it almost irritated her… though she knew that was a way to cover a sinking realization. It wasn’t the touching that bothered her. Sure, it was weird to see her boyfriend in bed with other people – but there was nothing sexual about this. Banner, arrayed at their feet like a rumpled, greying dog. Rogers, propped up against pillows and looking like a Greek god. That tiny little redhead, nestled between Rogers and Tony…

As she watched, the redhead squirmed and made a soft, sad noise. Without waking, Tony ran a comforting hand over the red curls and the woman quieted.

Unable to watch further, Pepper returned to the elevator. The doors closed, but the car didn’t move immediately. “Is there anywhere else to sleep?” Pepper asked when she was sure her voice wouldn’t break.

“The penthouse bedroom, Miss Potts. Sir entered long enough to obtain clothing for himself and Lady Catriona, but it has otherwise been undisturbed.”

“Take me there, please?” 

The elevator car began to move. Pepper’s hands came up to cover her face, and she realized they were trembling. “Miss Potts?” JARVIS asked, gentle as a human – as a friend.

“Yeah?” She bit back a sniffle.

“I am certain that Sir has no wish for this to distress you.”

She let out a short bark of laughter. “No. You’re right.” Pepper leaned back against the wall again. “Still hurts.”

“May I ask why?” There was a pause. “I do not ask to offend. I truly wish to understand.”

“I know you do.” She wiped at her eyes. “You’ve watched over him a long time, JARVIS. When did you last see him that relaxed with someone?”

“Sir is regularly relaxed with you – and with Colonel Rhodes.”

The elevator door opened on the penthouse, and she carefully avoided the damaged areas, averting her eyes as she made straight for the bedroom. “Yeah. He is. How long did that take, with me?” She shook her head. The silence was answer enough. “I can kind of understand Rogers – Tony grew up idolizing Captain America. But…”

“Sir has expressed admiration of Doctor Banner’s work in the past.”

Pepper started to change clothes, long since unbothered to do so while conversing with the AI. “It’s one thing to think the guy’s brain is beautiful, and another to have his sock feet tucked under the guy’s thigh.” She started pawing through her things for night clothes. “And the girl – woman – he put her in my clothes, didn’t he?”

JARVIS’s silence eloquent. “She is too small for the majority of your wardrobe. Sir located a pair of capri lounge pants and an unused t-shirt. I did not judge that you would miss those items. I apologize if I misjudged.”

“It’s not about that.” She tugged on a Black Sabbath tee and red yoga pants. “It’s… he… cares.”

“It appears that he does, yes.”

As she slid between the sheets, Pepper gave up stopping the tears. “I want him to care about people, JARVIS. I want him to be – to be happy, and comfortable, and relaxed.”

“I do not understand why this brings you such anguish.” Without her prompting, JARVIS lowered the lighting in the bedroom to her preferred level and turned the light blockers on the windows. She heard the soft sound of her favorite white noise – water rippling over rocks – start, and a faint puff of air as he turned on the fan for her, added a faint hint of sea breeze scent. 

Struck again by how damned human the AI was, Pepper pressed her hands to her face again. “I don’t know if I can explain it. I can’t… I can never be that easy for him. I love him,” she whispered, “but we’ve never been that… easy.”

“Sir would protest that nothing worth having is easy.”

“Finding – finding the right people should be,” Pepper sighed. “It was for him and Rhodey, the way he tells it. And these people…” She shook her head against the pillow. “Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe I’m just overwrought and… and… surprised and…”

“I would never discount your feelings in such a way, Miss Potts. If you feel this is significant, I will defer to your judgment.” JARVIS sounded… sad? Pepper didn’t understand that either. “Perhaps you can observe them again in the morning? Sir, Doctor Banner, and Captain Rogers were quite fatigued from battle, and I am given to understand Lady Catriona was similarly exhausted by her activities on the helicarrier. Perhaps this… familiarity… is merely a product of circumstances.”

Pepper appreciated his attempt at reassurance – more than she knew how to express. “Maybe.” She sniffled. “I’m going to try and sleep.”

In a ritual they kept strictly and entirely private from Tony, JARVIS asked, “Will that be all, Miss Potts?”

A fresh wave of tears flooded her eyes, but she managed to answer him. “That will be all, Mister JARVIS.”

~ * ~

By the time CJ landed the StarkJet in Tromso, Thor had explained everything he knew about the Avengers, the Battle of New York, and the conditions of his comrades. Darcy had eagerly soaked up all of it – but Jane seemed to fluctuate from riveted to utterly dismissive. Thor did not understand. She also did not welcome any of his attempts to woo her – not even the carefully demure compliments of her science.

That alone – her deflection of his admiration of her mind – should have been a clue.

Ronan had informed the staff at the observatory of the approach of a StarkJet, and so when it landed there was no confusion. CJ and Erik were brought directly to the lab where Ronan, Jane, Thor, and Darcy were. 

“Your chariot awaits!” CJ announced, opening the door to the lab with a flourish. “And I brought a stowaway that seemed really keen to see the ladies.”

“Erik!” Jane abandoned the research and was halfway across the room in a split second.

“Jane.” It was quieter but no less fervent. In a heartbeat, Erik reached her, his arms enfolding her, pulling her to his chest. “Are you alright, starshine?”

In answer, Jane put her hands on either side of Erik’s face and pulled in him for a kiss.

The bottom dropped out of Thor’s stomach, and his eyes flew to Darcy. She shrugged awkwardly. “Surprise?”

CJ blinked once. “Yeah. Okay.” He turned to the druid. “Your Reverence, is there somewhere that we can go and leave the – leave them to their reunion?” He gestured vaguely at Jane and Erik, who’d yet to part.

“Certainly.” Ronan inclined his head respectfully to CJ before gesturing for them to follow. He led them to a small breakroom down the hall, Thor following only because Darcy had caught his hand and tugged. She hadn’t a prayer of forcing him against his will, but her insistence had broken through his numb shock.

“I didn’t know how to tell you,” Darcy said quietly to Thor. One hand came up to toy with a lock of her dark brown hair. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t… I should have found a way.”

“They are – achroi ghra, then?” Thor asked.

“I don’t know what that means,” Darcy admitted.

“Heartmates,” CJ supplied. He was eyeing Thor carefully, trying to gauge just how upset the demigod was. Very, if CJ was any judge. Carefully he edged closer, resting a hand on Thor’s bicep. “You thought she was… yours?”

Thor nodded, his face carefully blank. “We had but a single kiss, but – I believed that we were – I thought – ”

Darcy eyed the furniture in the breakroom and brightened a little when she spotted a ragged orange couch. She prodded and nudged until Thor sat down on it, curling up next to him with her feet tucked under her. CJ sat on his other side, his hand still on Thor’s arm. “I don’t really get romance,” CJ admitted quietly, “but… umm… you weren’t here that long, last time. Were you?”

“He was only here a couple of days,” Darcy confirmed. “Long enough to turn my world upside down.” She looked over the silent Thor to CJ. “Hi.” She stuck out her hand. “Darcy Lewis, scientist wrangler.”

He looked at her hand for a beat before shaking it. “Agent CJ Forrester – former agent. Sorry.” He gave her a wan smile. “It’s only been, like – ” he glanced at his watch. “Less than twenty-four hours since I resigned.”

“You’re one of Agent iPod Thief’s people? Agent Coulson?”

“I am.” This time the smile was more genuine. “He’s our clanchief.”

Thor’s eyes met CJ’s. “Is he well?”

“He is.” CJ squeezed Thor’s arm reassuringly. “I dropped him and Nat and Clint off in Iowa, made sure they’re safe. By now they’ve probably had a good night’s sleep and breakfast.”

Darcy scooted closer to Thor, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, big guy.” She felt Thor shiver under her head and bit her lip. “She… Janey was messed up when you left. There’s always been kind of a chemistry between Erik and her and…”

“He could be for her what I could not,” Thor supplied in a voice barely above a whisper. “Present.”

CJ squeezed Thor’s bicep again. “We’ll figure it out.” He rose, crossing to Ronan to allow Darcy some time to comfort Thor. “Your Reverence?”

“So formal,” Ronan murmured, but inclined his head politely. “How can I help you, faireoir?”

It was decidedly weird to have a nonclanmate use his Gaelic name, but CJ figured a druid had the right. “You’ve probably got a stash of the pixie’s – of Catriona’s remedies around here, right?” The lean druid nodded. “A cup of her Serenitea for the Prince might not be a bad idea. And… is there anything in the bag of tricks stronger than coffee? I’ve got another eight, nine hours of flight time ahead of me.”

“Aye… on both requests.” Ronan eyed CJ carefully. “I shall fetch sachets of both teas. Something for the young lady as well?”

CJ looked at Darcy over his shoulder. “Yeah. Unitea if you’ve got it… don’t know if she shares the clan blend or not. Otherwise, I’ll leave it up to your discretion.” The druid nodded and stepped out of the room. CJ stood at the doorway – partly to give Thor time to regain his composure, and partly to be sure they weren’t interrupted. He pulled his cell phone out and shot quick status messages to the Scooby group text and one to Phil – just a ‘checking in’ message for his chief, though. No need to tell him that he felt drained, going a whole twelve hours without seeing his chiefs.

Ronan returned moments later, and CJ carefully handed Thor and Darcy each mugs of tea. Ronan hadn’t had the clan blend, but he provided a pleasant strawberry-scented cup for Darcy. The brew he produced for CJ smelled less pleasant but promised wakefulness.

“Drink up,” CJ ordered Thor as he settled back onto the couch. “It’s one of Catriona’s.” He was no longer touching Thor but was in closer proximity than he usually would be with strangers. Oddly enough, though the demigod was massive and powerful, he didn’t trigger CJ’s anxiety.

The prince looked into the depths of the mug for a long moment before sipping obediently. “Do you think me a fool, then?” he asked Darcy and CJ. 

“Of course not!” Darcy smacked Thor’s bicep with her hand – and made a show of shaking out her fingers. He really was too beefy to hit like that. “I’d probably have thought the same thing.” Or at least, her fifteen-year-old self might have… but at twenty-five, Darcy had lost a lot of that romanticism. “And you know that their… thing… doesn’t make me any less glad to see you, right?”

That at least earned her a smile. “I have missed you as well, lightning sister.”

“Why do you call her that?” CJ asked. That seemed a safe enough question – and probably one that wouldn’t upset anyone.

“When first I met fair Darcy, she wielded a weapon of lightning against me,” Thor said, one corner of his mouth twitching up. “Tis not many that can fell the God of Thunder.”

“I tased him,” Darcy said proudly. 

CJ burst out laughing. “By the Goddess, you two are going to fit right in with the crazy bunch I call kin,” he managed to get out around laughter – which he steadfastly refused to call giggles. 

“I should like that, very much,” Thor replied – a little wistfully. “I enjoy the company of my comrades thus far – the Man of Iron, and the good Captain… the gamma scientist, and of course your clanmates Black Widow and Hawkeye. They are… they remind me of Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.”

“Your leather and steel friends from outer space?” Darcy asked. Thor nodded. “That’s cool.” She nestled closer. “I’d like to meet these Avengers. I met Agent Hot Guy – ”

“Excuse me?” CJ raised both his eyebrows.

“Hawkeye?” Darcy shrugged. “He was in New Mexico with Agent – with Coulson.”

“I know. Couple of my clanmates were there too – Chuck, Angie, and Lance.” CJ poked Thor with one finger. “You kicked Chuck through a plastic wall. Bruised the hell out of him and cracked some ribs. Same clanmate you managed to toss around on the helicarrier today – yesterday – and broke his ribs again.” With careful tact, CJ didn’t mention that Loki had broken Chuck’s ribs, too. That seemed like a bad thing to bring up.

Thor flinched back from CJ’s finger. “Is he badly harmed?”

“Nah.” CJ patted the spot he’d poked. “Catriona healed him, back in New Mexico… and he’ll heal up from these, too. Can’t ask the pixie to fix ‘em this time, not with her running on empty.” He fought a yawn and wondered how long the tea would take to kick in. “I’m going to go interrupt the scientists and see if they’re coming to New York or not. I want to get back in the air and get home.”

As he stepped out of the room, he heard Darcy ask Thor, “Who is the pixie?”

CJ was grinning as he knocked on the door to the lab he’d left Erik in. It took a moment, but it opened – and CJ was relieved that no clothing appeared out of place. Good. He didn’t think he could add that to the list of the day’s stressors without losing his damned mind. “I’d like to get the bird back in the air,” he said without much prelude. “You two coming or not?”

Erik gestured for him to come into the lab. “Janey, this is CJ Forrester. CJ, this is Doctor Jane Foster. He’s one of Agent Coulson’s people,” he added to Jane.

“SHIELD?” Jane’s lip curled.

“Formerly.” CJ found himself straightening up, almost to a parade rest. “I might not be SHIELD anymore, but I’m still one of Coulson’s.”

Jane’s lips pursed, but she nodded once. “If I come with you, will I have access to a lab? Data on the portal in New York? And the one in New Mexico?”

CJ pulled his cell phone out again and dialed Catriona’s number. He wasn’t surprised that she didn’t answer – but was mildly concerned that someone else did. “Lady Catriona’s phone.”

“Um. Who’s this?”

“Bruce. This is CJ, right? Do you need me to wake her up?”

“No.” CJ stuffed his irrational fear aside. She was fine. Catriona was just asleep. “I was actually hoping for Tony, but I didn’t get his number.”

Bruce laughed. “He wouldn’t know it, anyway. Hang on, let me get him.”

There was a commotion through the phone that CJ couldn’t identify before Tony picked up. “Hey there, boy wonder. You run into some weird tech thing that JARVIS can’t save you from?”

“I’m not on the plane at the moment – which, by the way, she’s gorgeous and I’m a little in love.” CJ grinned when Tony laughed. “Doctor Foster is asking if there’s lab space for her in New York, and whether she’ll have access to the portal data from there and New Mexico.”

“If she wants it, it’s hers.” Tony paused. “You want to hand her the phone, kid?”

CJ held out his phone to Jane. “For you.”

“Yes?” Jane tried to keep scorn and doubt out of her tone, with limited success.

“Doctor Foster, this is Tony Stark. I wanted to personally invite you –and your assistant – to join the science party I’m throwing here at Stark Tower. Selvig too. I figure this needs as many big, beautiful brains on it as possible – and you’ve got one. You and Selvig, me and Bruce – we’ve got enough smarts between us to really work at these portals… if you’re interested.” Tony knew how to wheedle, Jane had to give him that. Years of schmoozing, she figured. “As for a lab… I’ll build you whatever you need. I’m redesigning a floor for the nerd squad anyway. Whatever you want.”

Jane hummed. “And if I don’t want to come to New York?”

“We’ll work something out. I’d rather have you here,” Tony admitted. “Your science is elegant, and I don’t say that to just anybody. But if you don’t want to be here… I get it. Life outside the work and all that.” He barked out a laugh. “I’m told there are people who actually managed to have that, anyway.”

“Alright.” Jane met Erik’s eyes. “We’re in.”

“Excellent!” Tony waited until Jane had given the phone back to CJ before he continued. “I’ll have JARVIS text you my contact details – and when you get back, I can just upload him to your phone. Or better yet – put you on a StarkPhone. JARVIS! Have somebody at SI send me over a dozen – make that two dozen StarkPhones. Don’t worry, kid. I’ll get you hooked up.”

CJ rolled his eyes. “For now, just knowing how to contact you is good.”

“Right.” 

Tony hung up abruptly and CJ shook his head, smiling despite himself. He tucked the phone away. “Can you two be ready in ten minutes?” CJ asked Jane and Erik. “I want to get back in the air. It’s a long flight, and I want… I need to be with my people.”

Jane looked around the lab. “I need longer than that.”

“Just take what’s essential for now, starshine,” Erik suggested. “I’m sure we can have these things sent for. This is Tony Stark we’re talking about… if he wants to work with you, I expect he can make concessions.” Erik lifted a hand to stroke Jane’s cheek lightly.

CJ whirled. Nope – he could not deal with the tenderness right now. “I’ll ask if Sir Ronan will keep an eye on your research until we can get it to New York, yeah?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just fled the room. On a normal day – a good day – he could overlook touches like that. Today was so far from a good day that he wasn’t sure it was even on the same plane of existence.

~ * ~


	4. Chapter 4

When Tony surfaced from sleep – genuine deep sleep – he had a moment of panic. It wasn’t the first time he’d woken up in the shop, but it was the first time he’d done so with another body touching him… and he sure as hell had never woke up without the aches and pains of a crappy, exhausted slump.

Oh. Right.

“It is Saturday, May 5, 2012,” JARVIS intoned softly. “The time is currently 8:37AM.”

“Right.” Tony yawned and stretched, careful not to jostle his companions.

“He do that every morning?” Steve asked. The supersoldier was already awake, turned on one side to watch Tony. He had a hand resting on Catriona’s back – the druid was sprawled on her stomach between them. 

Tony nodded. “Helps me stay grounded, if I wake up from a nightmare.” He ran a hand through his hair. “He can do it for you, too.” 

“Might take you up on that.” Steve’s voice was soft, that gentle tone people use in the very early morning, before the day has fully started. “You seem to know a lot of tricks for… you know. Nightmares.” Steve’s eyes slid away.

Feeling a wash of protectiveness, Tony patted Steve’s hand lightly where it rested on Catriona. “I’ve been dealing with it for a while. This,” he tapped his arc reactor, “happened four years ago. I already had nightmares – but that kicked them up a notch.”

At their feet, Bruce stirred and sat up. He scooted closer until he could pull Catriona’s feet into his lap, mindful of keeping her in physical contact. The druid mumbled something in her sleep but didn’t wake. “Morning.”

“I need to think about food,” Steve murmured. “My metabolism isn’t kind in the morning.”

“God, I hear that,” Bruce agreed, scrubbing his hands through his hair. “I can cook, if you’ve got staples.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “What kind of philistine do you take me for?” He started to lever himself off the mattress only to be restrained by a slender, porcelain hand wrapped tightly in his band shirt. “Um.”

Steve chuckled. “We’ll have to wake her up to eat anyway – and if you’re going to take Bruce to the kitchen, we might as well join you.” He reached over Catriona to gently disengage her fingers from Tony, entirely unsurprised when she latched onto him instead. “I’ll carry her.”

“Alright.” Tony got up, offering Bruce a hand as he did so. “Kitchen’s in the penthouse. We can take stock – figure out a game plan for the day.”

Catriona stirred as they rode the elevator up to the penthouse. Her face grew pinched in sleep, and her eyes had opened by the time the elevator disgorged them into the penthouse. “Oh, it is very high up,” she murmured, rubbing her forehead.

“That a problem, Sparkle?” Tony asked as he led them to the kitchen. Pepper had designed it, of course – it was massive and professional grade. His only real stipulations had been the complex coffee machine and the pasta maker that was tucked into a cabinet.

“Not for a brief duration… but I prefer to be nearer to ground. Particularly when I am this weak.” She was still quite exhausted – enough so that she didn’t fight Steve carrying her. He spotted a stool at the counter and deposited her there, but she was too shaky to remain there unsupported.

Steve could tell – though it was strange to see someone else in a plight that he’d suffered all too often pre-serum. He pushed a second stool close to the first and sank onto it, tugging Catriona almost into his lap. “Don’t fret, ginger. I don’t mind.”

“I dislike being a burden,” Catriona sighed, but she stopped trying to squirm away.

Bruce was opening cabinets and humming. “Pancakes sound alright?”

“If there’s bacon too,” Tony agreed. “Tell you what, you do pancakes and I’ll do sides, yeah?”

“Not every day you get two of the brightest minds in a generation cookin’ breakfast for ya,” Steve murmured to Catriona.

“It could be,” Tony shot back with a grin. “Where’d you hear that drivel about the brightest minds, Cap?”

“Misty – and it isn’t drivel.” Steve smoothed his thumbs along Catriona’s arms automatically. “She’s supposed to be here today, by the way. Message said by noon.”

Catriona let out a long, low sigh. “It will be good to see laoch beag.”

“Can I ask what that means?” Bruce looked up from where he was measuring pancake batter.

“Tis her Gaelic name, aye? We all have them.” She reached for the pendant she wore. The elegant gold and emerald triquetra that Phil had given her hung now with a clan tag identical to what the Scoobies wore. She held it up for Steve to see, showing him first ‘An Teaglach Tofa’ on one side, and her Gaelic name of ‘Catriona Alanna’ on the other. “My Gaelic name is not all that esoteric, but some of the others have less obvious monikers. Laoch beag – Misty – her name means little warrior.”

“Suits her,” Steve agreed. He touched the tag, then felt for his dog tags. It wasn’t subtle, but no one mentioned it. “How about the others?”

The druid paused. “I do not know if it is proper to speak of them. They are… special.”

“No worries,” Tony said immediately. “Curiosity can wait. We’ll get a chance to interrogate them ourselves, yeah?” He grinned over at them. “You want coffee?”

“I would like tea, but I have misplaced my satchel,” Catriona sighed. “I do hope that Misty brings it – and my robe – from the helicarrier.”

Tony peeked into a cabinet. “I’ve got tea. I think this is tea.” He produced a canister and slid it across the counter to her.

She took one sniff and shook her head. “I will make do with water for now.”

“I’ll go for coffee,” Steve agreed. “It don’t do much for me anymore, but I’m real accustomed to startin’ the day with it.”

The engineer tucked away his amusement at Steve’s accent slipping again. “Coffee, coming up.”

It didn’t take long for the kitchen to be filled with the sound and smell of breakfast. The first slices of crispy bacon were coming off the grill when Tony caught sight of a familiar shape in the doorway. “Pep!”

Pepper smiled a little warily. “Hi.”

“When did you get in?” Tony abandoned the breakfast preparations and crossed to her, pulling her in for a hug. “God, I missed you.” Steve closed his eyes and looked away, his throat working soundlessly. Despite his reputation, Tony wasn’t a complete bastard – he could see how miserable the supersoldier was, and pulled back from his embrace.

“Last night.” Pepper lifted a hand to caress Tony’s cheek, and though she was not surprised that he shied away from the touch, there was a shadow of pain in her eyes that didn’t translate to the rest of her. He covered her hand briefly with his own, but didn’t make a move to kiss her. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“You could have,” Tony protested mildly. “Or just crawled in.” Then he seemed to remember his companions. “Oh! Let me introduce you.” He waved wildly. “The one wielding the batter over there is Doctor Bruce Banner – his brain, Pep! His brain is beautiful.” Bruce chuckled. “The blond behemoth over there is Captain Steve Rogers – yeah, that Steve Rogers – hard to recognize him without the red, white, and blue spangles, isn’t it?” Steve rolled his eyes, smiling. “And the redhead there is Lady Catriona O’Clare, and I don’t really understand everything she can do, but she saved Phil from dying so she’s cool with me.” He gestured again, this time towards Pepper. “Meet the most amazing, beautiful, brilliant woman I’ve ever known – Miss Pepper Potts.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Steve said with a respectful nod. 

Bruce ducked his head in her direction, abruptly shy. “Thanks for your hospitality.”

Pepper gave them all a staged smile – one with too much public persona, and little emotional involvement. “It’s the least we could do, since you’ve saved the planet.” She slid her eyes to Tony. “Even if we are going to have to redecorate around a new crater in our living room.”

“Sorry.” Bruce’s shoulders came up defensively.

“No, no!” Tony scurried over to the scientist, rubbing a comforting hand between his shoulder blades. “The video of Hulk tossing Loki around like a rag doll is the best thing I’ve seen in years. Don’t apologize for that.” He leaned over Bruce’s shoulder. “Those pancakes look about done, jolly green. You want some, Pep?” He didn’t wait for her answer, piling a plate full and shoving it across the counter to her. “Eat up. And no strawberries this time,” he grinned.

In short order they each had a plate. Catriona’s hands shook as she tried to feed herself, and with each progressive bite the tremor got worse. Ten minutes into the meal, she was near to tears, but she did not want to interrupt Steve or Bruce – their caloric requirements were so much greater than her own.

Tony had been flitting about the kitchen between bites – he rarely sat still for very long – and he returned to her side with a smoothie. He set it down next to her plate, hooked another stool, and speared a bite of pancake with her fork. He held it up to Catriona’s lips. “Eat,” he prompted.

“I do not wish to be a burden—”

He popped the bite into her mouth. “You’re recuperating,” he told her seriously, ignoring the amused looks from Steve and Bruce (and not seeing the frankly shocked one from Pepper.) “You’re allowed to be needy. Not like feeding you or cuddling you is a real hardship, Sparkle.” What surprised Pepper the most wasn’t Tony’s actions or words – it was the clear openness with which he spoke. “You kept Agent alive, and that earned you a hell of a lot of gratitude from me. You promised Agent that you’d rest, remember? I’m just helping you keep that promise.” He paused, loading up her fork again. “Besides, some of the scariest people I know call you kin.”

“You’re Natasha’s friend!” Pepper realized.

Catriona nodded, allowing herself to sink back against Steve. “She is my deirfiur m’chroi – sister of my heart. She speaks fondly of you, Miss Potts.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” And realizing that – putting together the small woman sitting in her kitchen with the stories she’d heard from Natasha, it was easier to understand Tony’s behavior. After all… there had to be something remarkable about the petite redhead to have won Natasha’s loyalty so thoroughly… she could not blame Tony for being drawn in by the same thing. “If your friend is going to be here later,” and that’s when Tony realized Pepper had been eavesdropping, “then we should get a few more bedrooms set up. There’s no reason for all of you to bunk in the workshop.”

“Ah… there rather is,” Catriona corrected softly. “I need to be near to ground, and… I cannot be left alone.” Her eyes dropped to the tile floor. “I apologize, it is – ”

“You ain’t a burden, ginger,” Steve assured her, tucking her more closely against him. Tony nodded his fervent agreement as he fed her another forkful of pancake. “More bedrooms might not be a bad idea though – when CJ gets back from Norway, there’ll be five more people to bed down. I don’t think they’re all going to want to camp out with us.”

Catriona sighed. “No. Faireoir – CJ – will need space, at the very least.” She doubted too that Thor would wish to share communal sleeping space with his lady. “How can I assist?”

“You can rest,” Bruce said mildly. He added another sausage link to Catriona’s plate. “One of us will stay with you, and the other two will handle the chores. Doctor’s orders.”

“Actually, I think Pep and I’ll get started on that now,” Tony said, draining his coffee. He passed Catriona’s fork to Bruce, who settled easily onto the stool that Tony vacated. “JARVIS will buzz me if you need anything, alright?” He patted Catriona’s knee reassuringly. “C’mon, Pep.” He tugged at Pepper’s hand, leading her out and to the elevator.

“What – ” she protested.

As soon as the elevator doors shut, he swept her into her arms, kissing her fiercely. “Sorry, sorry, I wanted to do that earlier,” Tony murmured against her lips. “God, I missed you.” He held her tightly – almost painfully.

Shocked by his sudden change of mood, Pepper almost didn’t return the kiss. “Tony?”

“I didn’t want to do it in front of Steve – he’s – he hurts,” Tony added lamely, his face buried in Pepper’s hair. “Grieving, you know? I get that. I don’t want to make it worse.”

Pepper let her hands come up to hold Tony, relaxing against him. She didn’t understand, really… Tony had never been particularly good at respecting the needs or feelings of others. Rarely maliciously – but not so wisely, either. “He’s Steve to you, now?”

Tony’s eyebrows came together. “We fought off an alien invasion together. I think that entitles us to first-name basis.”

“And sleeping together?” There was emotion around the edges of Pepper’s question that Tony couldn’t parse.

“What – it wasn’t like that!” Tony’s absolute shock allayed fears that Pepper wouldn’t admit to having. “It was therapeutic cuddling. Sparkle and Spangles both get nightmares, and… well, so do I.” A fact she was well aware of, but that Tony rarely admitted. “It helped. Sparkle couldn’t be left alone and Steve…” Tony’s throat worked, remembering the back-breaking sobs that wracked the supersoldier in the quiet hours. “God, Pepper, he’s lost everything. Everyone.” He pressed his forehead against hers.

“I almost lost you,” Pepper whispered. She stressed the last word, her hands balling up in fists on his chest – not quite clinging, but not far from it.

Tony tightened his arms around her. “I know.” He knew she was waiting for an apology, and he just… couldn’t. He wasn’t sorry… and he’d do it again.

She pulled away finally – the elevator car had been still for some time. “We should get to work.”

“Right.” And if both of them were wiping tears away… well, they’d never tell, and neither would JARVIS.

~ * ~

Steve and Bruce took Catriona back down to the workshop after breakfast, settling back down on the mattress. Catriona curled up between them with her legs pressed against Bruce’s thigh and her head pillowed on Steve’s knee.

No sooner had they settled than Tony whirled in with Pepper trailing in his wake. “All fed and comfy? Ready to stretch your brains?”

Bruce looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “You have that mad scientist look again.”

Tony tossed him a StarkTab, which he caught neatly. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it. Need to work out how to track down Chitauri tech – preferably before the civilians get ahold of it.”

“Oh.” Bruce looked down at the tablet. “Yeah, that could be bad.” 

“I’ll be pitching in where I can – but I’ve got other crap that I can’t foist off.” Tony sank down onto the mattress too, absently patting Catriona as he handed another StarkTab to Steve. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to pitch in on the rescue operations—”

“Rescue operations?” Steve looked down at the tablet in his hand – one similar enough to what Misty used that he was able to navigate it a little. Maps of the damaged areas of the city popped up, along with live updates of survivors and victims. “Oh, hell.” He touched a finger over the map and the picture expanded, showing a massive pile of rubble – and a cluster of workers in Stark Industries windbreakers.

“I’ve got crews out all over the city,” Tony continued. “And we’re using every kind of sensory tech I’ve got – heat sensors, sound, vibrations – you name it, we’re trying it. There’s a place for you on one of the teams, if you want it.”

Pepper made a small sound and Steve’s eyes flashed to her. She flushed a little. “If you don’t feel comfortable reporting to a Stark Industries team—”

“That’s not a problem, ma’am.” Steve shook his head. “I just don’t want to leave before Misty gets here. Will that be alright?” He slid his eyes to Tony.

“Yeah, of course. Be good for her to see you.” Tony smiled a little. “I can find a place for her too, if she wants in. We can use all the hands we can get.”

Catriona – who’d given every indication of being asleep – made a noise of protest. “No. Laoch beag cannot – no.” Steve blinked. He’d been about to object too – but the druid beat him to it. He wondered if she knew about Misty’s pregnancy. 

Tony waved a hand. “Fine, she can coordinate from here. If she’s Agent’s trainee, I bet she’s damned near as good at organizing as Pep.” He tipped his head up to look at Pepper, a soft smile on his lips. 

Pepper stepped closer to brush her hand through Tony’s hair – and for the first time, noticed Steve’s discomfort when she did so. Hmm. Tony had been right, damn it… the supersoldier was grieving deeply, and it seemed to be the tender, loving touches that made him grimace. She filed that away even as she answered Tony. “Phil wanted me to teach a class at the SHIELD academy,” she reminded him, her lips quirking up. “After the Expo mess… on crisis management.”

“He can’t have my CEO,” Tony blurted immediately.

She laughed then, and finally relaxed enough to sit down on the mattress next to him. “He doesn’t really want me, Tony. Not like that. Just my… how did you say it? My beautiful brain.”

“Your brain’s off limits too,” Tony objected mulishly. “Unless – you know, you want to.” He wasn’t stupid enough to think he could control her… but his mouth tended to lay claim before his mind remembered it wasn’t politic to do so. “It doesn’t matter now that Agent’s not SHIELD anymore, though.” 

And that explanation – because somehow he hadn’t gotten around to telling Pepper about the mass resignation from SHIELD – took almost half an hour. Explaining the Goddess, achroi ghra bond, and Chosen took even longer – complicated by the fact that Catriona was half-asleep, and kept forgetting to explain terminology.

Quiet had fallen as Pepper absorbed the information. She’d taken Tony’s hand and was idly running her fingers along his scars. Rather than continue to dwell on things she didn’t understand, she picked up the thread of their earlier discussion. “Doctor Banner, do you want to join Captain America with the recovery teams? And you, Tony? Make it an Avengers event?”

“So the media can trumpet the Avengers Rescue and Recovery? No,” Tony sighed. “The work’s too important to turn into a spectacle.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up. “You think it would get that bad? And call me Steve please, ma’am.” He nodded to Pepper. “I’m not Captain America at home.”

“Anywhere Tony shows up becomes a media circus,” Pepper sighed. “With or without the armor.”

Tony’s jaw worked and he glanced away – off to a bare corner of the workshop. “JARVIS… have somebody trustworthy in Malibu pack up the bots and get them shipped here,” he said in a complete non sequitur. “I need them.”

“Certainly, Sir.”

“Bots?” Steve repeated.

Pepper stared. “You’re moving them here? For how long?”

Tony shrugged. “Robots, Steve, they’re… well… Agent has his fledglings and I’ve got my bots. And yeah, Pep, I’m moving them here… for the foreseeable future. The city’s going to be rebuilding for years… there’s alien tech and portal data and…”

She wanted to be angry that he’d made that choice without consulting her – but all she felt was tired. It wasn’t even noon yet, and she was just… exhausted. (That wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation, dealing with Tony.) Moving his bots here was tantamount to declaring a change of address – Tony didn’t like transporting them, and only did so when he was going to be in one place for an extended period of time. If he wanted DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers here… “I’ll take care of it,” Pepper promised, stifling a sigh. “Are you moving SI HQ too?”

“That’s more up to you, isn’t it?” he asked lightly. “If you want it to stay on the West Coast… I mean, it’s your – ”

Perhaps JARVIS did not like to see Pepper and Tony argue – and this was clearly shaping up to be an argument – because he chose to make an audible noise as the elevator opened. 

“Misty, thank God,” Steve blurted when he saw the blonde agent step off the elevator into the workshop.

“Goddess,” Misty corrected him with a warm smile. “I told you I’d be okay.” She slung a rucksack onto the floor near the door and held out her arms.

Steve was on his feet and crossing to her before he realized he’d moved. With a sound close to a sob, he wrapped his arms around her. “I was so worried,” he whispered. “Leaving you and – ” his eyes flickered downward, “leaving you on the helicarrier was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, doll.”

Misty cupped her hand around the back of his neck. “I’m okay,” she repeated. “We’re okay.” Wrapped in supersoldier arms – and in a building inhabited by Iron Man and the Hulk – she felt safe for the first time since she’d climbed out of Maria’s bunk this morning.

Catriona cleared her throat from the mattress – she’d woken when Steve moved – and held out her arms. “May I have a hug as well, deirfiur m’chroi?”

“Of course.” Misty wasn’t surprised that Steve followed her to Catriona – though she was a little surprised to find the druid curled up with Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Pepper Potts. Life, she reflected, had gotten even weirder. Pushing that aside, she sank into the mattress and wrapped herself around Catriona. “Hi.”

Sighing contentedly, Catriona pressed her forehead into Misty’s shoulder. She was still ashen pale, despite the hours of rest, and even sitting up seemed to be a great effort. “May I… may I use my Gift to ease my mind, laoch beag?” the druid asked softly.

“If it won’t hold up your recovery, sure,” Misty agreed. “But just your mind – and Big Mama’s, okay? Well, and Sensei’s,” she added, remembering the new telepathic connection.

The redhead nodded solemnly and cupped her hand around Misty’s cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment – but when they opened, she smiled with relief and leaned forward to press a kiss to Misty’s forehead. “All is indeed well, deirfiur beag m’chroi.”

Tony had watched the byplay as they settled back down. When Catriona closed her eyes again, he judged it safe to interrupt. “So, you’re Steve’s Misty.”

Misty shot Tony a warning look. “Misty Summers. Scooby Squad Leader.” Rather than extend her hand, she inclined her head as she’d seen Catriona greet people… formal, but not something that would trigger his own issues. (She was a lot more respectful about triggers now that she had a few of her own.) “And for the record… I’m ducks’s Misty.”

“And is… laoch scail well?” Catriona murmured.

“Everyone’s fine. Me, the cricket, ducks – and I’m here to stay, until Sensei says otherwise.” At Catriona’s raised eyebrow, Misty smiled. “Ducks will be here when… when she can.”

Steve filed that away. So the mysterious partner was female… then how did Misty wind up pregnant? He doubted it had been planned, not if she’d been keeping it a secret from SHIELD, but… he didn’t like the conclusions that left him.

Tony was watching Misty as she settled. “You aren’t what I expected.”

“Likewise.” The squad leader yawned and laid her head on Steve’s shoulder. “Sensei – Chief – Agent Coulson talks about you with this weird mix of fondness and annoyance. I kind of expected you to be… I don’t know. Wilder.” She blinked at him, eyes half hooded. Tony wasn’t fooled – beneath that sleepy exterior was a highly observant set of eyes. “Thanks for putting us up.”

“Don’t mention it.” Ever, Tony added to himself, shifting his gaze off her and onto his StarkTab. Gratitude made his teeth ache. “You need any special accommodations?” And why the hell did that question make so many people tense up?

“No, thanks,” Misty said, patting Steve gently. She also reached over to brush her fingers against Catriona. “For now, I just need a place to bunk down.”

“We’ve got bedrooms set up… or you can join the cuddle pile here,” Tony offered, wiggling his fingers at the mattresses.

Steve’s arms tightened around Misty. He wanted her to stay – wanted her to be where he could see her, keep her safe. She stroked his hands comfortingly… and he wasn’t surprised that she understood. “I’ll hang wherever the pixie is. Or Steve. I’d… prefer not to be alone.” Tony saw the flicker of vulnerability, quickly hidden. It didn’t have the same flavor as what he saw in Steve… but it was powerful nonetheless.

“Whatever you need,” he promised. “Right, Pep?” He tilted his head at her. “Mi casa es su casa.”

“Let my hearth and home be as your own,” Catriona murmured, nestling closer to… well, all of them. One leg was pressed against Bruce, and the other ankle was firmly pressed to Tony’s shin. Her back was against Steve, and her head in Misty’s lap. The only person she wasn’t touching was Pepper.

Misty tilted her head at the other redhead. It hadn’t passed her notice that she hadn’t introduced herself. It was odd… but then, she supposed it wasn’t any weirder than the rest of the past few days. “Nascha – Natasha talks about you, you know,” she said conversationally. “Apparently you’re as badass at paperwork as Sensei – Agent Coulson. And let me tell you, it takes a fair amount to impress Nat.”

It earned her a pleased smile. “I take being compared to Phil’s efficiency as a compliment.” Pepper relaxed against Tony. “Speaking of efficiency…”

“She’s going to draft you,” Tony said in a mock-whisper. “We could use another conductor for the orchestra of chaos. Unless you want to go out in the field with Capsicle…”

“No.” Her denial was as swift as Catriona’s had been earlier. “I’m out of the field for the foreseeable future – and maybe forever.” Misty patted Steve’s hands again, this time to get him to relax his grip. “But I’m trained as a handler – by SHIELD and by Sensei. Lay a mission on me, and I’ll do my best to coordinate it.”

“Perfect.” Pepper smiled at Misty – and the veneer cracked, just a little. She wanted to like this friend of Natasha’s – both the blonde and the redhead. Yet despite that – a part of her held back. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just gather up what you’ll need. Captain – Steve, will you require anything?”

“No ma’am,” he said automatically, then paused. “On second thought… work clothes – canvas pants, leather gloves. Maybe a hat.”

Tony waved a hand. “We’ll take care of that. Think Beta team, with Dorsey?” he asked Pepper, tilting his head to one side. “Even if he recognizes Spangles, he’d keep quiet.”

“I’ll let him know.” Pepper rose from the mattress, resting her hand briefly on Tony’s shoulder. “Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll have a car here for you, Steve – with the required gear.”

Steve waited until the elevator closed behind her before he raised an eyebrow at Tony. “Your dame—” Misty elbowed him, and Steve cleared his throat, “she’s got moxie.”

“I dare you to say that to her face,” Tony said seriously, leaning towards Steve. “But please, for the love of Christ, let me get it on video.”

“Watch the blasphemy, pal,” Steve shot back, poking Tony with a sock-clad toe. “I ain’t stupid. Your Pepper looks as fierce as – ” his expression clouded briefly, but he fought through it, “as Peggy.”

Tony snorted. “Aunt Peggy’s a badass. Pep’s awesome, but she’s not in quite the same league.”

“No one is,” Misty said, forestalling Steve’s questions with a hand on his forearm. There’d be time later to discuss that familial term – and the affection with which Tony used it. They had a job to do, now. “When ducks and I were on vacation, we traded tall tales of Director Carter with a retired SHIELD agent.” She chuckled to herself, remembering. “Well. He told Director Carter stories, and ducks told Black Widow stories.”

Catriona hummed sleepily. “Your ducks is a fine storyweaver, achara. I should like very much to hear her tell such yarns about Maggie May.”

Steve, Tony, and Bruce traded glances while Misty’s eyes were on the druid. There was a unanimous silent agreement not to ask – because while curiosity was eating all three of them up… if Misty wanted them to know who this mysterious ‘ducks’ was, she’d have said so. Steve assumed it was the mysterious partner – female partner – and he didn’t understand why Misty was protecting her identity so zealously… but given how fiercely he’d had to protect his own relationship, he was not likely to push the issue.

Misty stroked the hair back from Catriona’s face before looking back up to Steve. “Can you be back here by like five, five-thirty? CJ’ll be back with Thor, Jane, Darcy, and Erik. Time for a team dinner?”

“You got it, doll.” Steve hugged her again – careful this time not to hug too tightly – and patted Catriona’s shoulder before getting up and stretching. “Time to get to work.” He was blissfully unaware of the appreciative eyes that followed his progress to the elevator – multiple pairs of eyes.

~ * ~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this bizarre and ultimately futile thought that these two fics would be equal in length. I don't think that's going to happen. I am trying to write them concurrently, which means there will be "hours" that are longer in one fic than the other. We'll see how it shakes out in the end, but if you're curious as to why they aren't equal length updates... that's why.

Listening to Catriona and Misty call the triad in Iowa was… educational, for Tony and Bruce. By the time Misty hung up the phone, Tony had learned more about the personal life of Agent than he had in all the years of their acquaintance… and wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

Tony waited until it looked like Misty wasn’t going to immediately burst into tears before he spoke. He hadn’t expected the level of emotion she’d displayed – her, or Catriona. For that matter, he sure as hell hadn’t expected it from Agent… from Phil, or Clint, or Natasha. “Um.” Tony cleared his throat. “Are you okay, Misty?”

“Yeah.” She managed a smile, though it was a little shaky. Her free hand twitched towards herself before settling onto Catriona’s back. “Sorry if we made you uncomfortable. I think we’re… a bit much, for outsiders.” Misty stroked her hand over Catriona’s shoulders, noting that the druid had fallen asleep again.

“Not uncomfortable, exactly,” Bruce said after a moment. He glanced at Tony, waiting to see if the engineer would step in. “I don’t know about Tony, but I’m… well.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m jealous.”

Misty blinked. “What? Why?”

Bruce’s expression shifted to one of introspective melancholy. “I can’t actually remember the last time someone told me they loved me. For that matter, nobody’d told me they liked me until the last few days, not since… it’s been a long time.”

“I like you,” Tony said immediately. 

“Ditto.” Misty scooted closer – jostling Catriona, who mumbled in her sleep and adjusted to the new position – so that she could place a hand on Bruce’s knee. She unfolded one leg and pressed the flat of her foot against Tony’s leg so that he wouldn’t feel left out. “It’s… the clan, we’re… it took us awhile, to be that open about… feelings.” Her hand twitched where it held the StarkPad in her lap – she wanted so badly to cover her barely-hidden baby bump but resisted. “We’ve been through some shit together though… we kind of collectively decided life was too short not to admit we love each other.”

Bruce hadn’t missed the hand twitch – this one, or the previous ones. He wasn’t an idiot. Aside from his physical observations… Hulk insisted she smelled different. He might not like to admit it, but Hulk had a much keener sense of smell, and appeared to be better at interpreting sensory data – all of which added up to one conclusion: Misty Summers was hiding a pregnancy. What Bruce didn’t understand was why. Still, he knew better than to bring it up, and he tried to shove it aside for now. “Like I said. Jealous.”

Tony swallowed hard. “Yeah.” He glanced away. “I’ve got Pepper and Rhodey – thank God – but… yeah.”

Cautious now, and only vaguely worried about overstepping her bounds, Misty scooted a tiny bit closer and said in a quiet voice, “You’ve got me now, too. And the pixie,” she added, glancing down at Catriona. “Both of you do. I was already in Steve’s corner,” she added with a small smile, “but… yeah. You guys make me – us – feel safe.”

Bruce covered the hand on his knee with one of his own, squeezing her fingers. “I still think you’re all crazy for trusting the other guy, but… thank you.”

“The jolly green giant plucked me out of the air – out of a fall that would have killed me,” Tony said bluntly. “You’ll never convince me he’s not an ally.” He met Bruce’s startled eyes. “I owe him my life – and I pay my debts, Bruce.”

“Is that what this is?” Bruce asked, then flinched. “Sorry. That was – ”

Tony flicked him in the shoulder. “No. I owe Hulk my life. I like you for that sexy, sexy brain. Keep up, Banner.”

Misty snickered as she turned her attention back to her StarkPad and the SI team she was overseeing. She could already tell that life at Stark Tower wasn’t going to be boring.

~ * ~

The flight from Tromso to New York felt a hell of a lot longer than eight and a half hours to CJ. Part of that was his dragging exhaustion – part of it was the tension in the cabin. Darcy was doing her best to defuse it, but she was fighting an uphill battle. Thor was practically radiating distress – though he appeared to be trying to hide it. That was even more grueling than open misery, in CJ’s opinion.

He had to give Erik credit, though. The older man had some decent observational skills, because he’d put two and two together regarding CJ’s discomfort with displays of affection. He and Jane were sitting together and their hands were clasped, but they hadn’t kissed again. CJ made a note to thank him later.

Landing on Stark Tower again was a bone-deep relief. At least this time he didn’t startle when the disembodied voice of the AI spoke.

“Welcome back, CJ. The Tower’s occupants are currently gathered in the penthouse kitchen. Miss Summers expressed a desire for a team dinner.”

“She would.” CJ let out a breath as he led his companions to the elevator. “Thanks, JARVIS. Take us to the kitchen, please?”

“JARVIS?” Darcy repeated. 

“Siri on steroids,” Erik, who’d met the AI before, explained. Jane looked vaguely bored – Thor appeared confused.

“I am an artificial intelligence created by Mister Stark to control Stark Towers and its peripheries,” JARVIS corrected. There was a pause that, in a human, would have been a derisive sniff. “Siri is merely a voice-activated predictive algorithm.”

Darcy started to giggle. She pressed her face into Thor’s bicep to muffle the sound. “Trust Tony Stark to program a snobby AI.”

“I prefer the term ‘discriminating’ or ‘refined,’ Miss Lewis,” JARVIS replied primly, which made Darcy giggle even harder.

“Wait, how’d it know who we are?” Jane asked, tilting her head up at Erik.

CJ had to fight to keep his expression neutral. For no reason that he could determine on this little sleep, hearing JARVIS referred to as an ‘it’ pissed him off. “You and Darcy don’t look that much alike. I’m guessing it wasn’t a challenge to figure out who’s who.”

“You are correct, CJ.” The elevator deposited them on the penthouse floor, and CJ poked his head out cautiously. “I have alerted Sir and his companions of your arrival.”

“Thanks, JARVIS.” CJ fought another yawn and followed his nose towards the kitchen. With himself and his passengers, CJ counted a total of eleven people in the kitchen – all of whom he immediately ignored in favor of making a direct line to his squad leader.

Misty opened her arms instantly, startled that CJ walked straight into them and burrowed into her shoulder. “Hey, little brother.” She smoothed a hand through his hair, letting it settle at the back of his neck as she’d seen Phil hold him. “Shhh, you’re okay. We’re okay.” To her shock, he was trembling in her arms.

Catriona gestured imperiously, and Misty scooted closer with CJ so that the druid could rest a hand on his arm. “It is well to see you again, faireoir… but you seem in some distress.”

“Tired,” he mumbled into Misty’s neck. “Hungry.”

“And needing a shower,” Misty teased, very gently. “I brought what you had in your locker on the helicarrier – you should get cleaned up and changed.” She debated briefly before daring to kiss his temple. “You were wearing this shirt yesterday, little brother.” It was the bloodstains that gave it away – Phil’s blood, she knew, from standing guarding over their wounded clanchief.

“Yeah.” CJ clung to her a moment longer before pulling away, wiping at his eyes without appearing to notice there were tears there. “Okay. Shower, then food, then sleep.”

Misty waited until CJ had followed JARVIS’s direction to the bedroom where she and Bruce had placed CJ’s duffle before whirling on Tony and Steve. “What the fuck,” she hissed.

“Um?” Tony looked startled and paused in the act of reaching for Pepper’s hand. “Why am I the target of your wrath?”

“Who okayed him to fly to fucking Norway and back?” Misty’s voice rose and with it, Catriona’s eyebrows. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Has he even eaten since the fucking Battle? I haven’t seen him in twenty-four fucking hours and he’s wearing the same fucking shirt – ” She whirled again, jamming her finger at Steve. “You’re a commander, you should know better than to treat your men like that.” Her gaze shifted to Bruce. “And you’re a damned doctor, you should have—”

Thor cleared his throat. “I feel I should take some of the blame here.” He bowed respectfully to Misty. “It was I who requested transport for the ladies, Miss – Summers, is it? Misty?”

“It is,” Misty agreed, her lips pursing as she glared at him. “And while you get part of the blame – because Jesus fuck, you couldn’t wait a few damned hours? – none of you are blameless here, including the damned kid.” She pointed her finger at Catriona, who recoiled. “You of all people should know he’s not in the best mental state right now. For the love of little monkeys, he’s still got Sensei’s blood on his shirt… Christ almighty.”

Though Steve objected to the blasphemy, he couldn’t object to Misty’s upset. He hadn’t considered the young man’s state of mind or how long he’d been on duty. “Doll, I – ”

“Don’t you ‘doll’ me!” Misty’s chin jutted forward.

“Laoch beag, perhaps you should take a deep breath,” Catriona cautioned. “You should not allow yourself such upset.”

Thor nodded in agreement, stepping closer to put a soothing hand on Misty’s arm. “Lady Catriona is correct, Miss Summers. For all that your wrath proves your maternal instincts well honed even ere your babe is born, such fire in your blood is not healthy for a woman with child.”

Misty stepped back from him, her eyes widening. “How – ”

“Be at ease, little mother,” Thor rumbled, trying to calm her. “Such a fierce mother lioness you will be! Your babe’s father must be beside himself with pride, to have such a woman as yourself to bear his offspring.”

Catriona’s eyes went very wide. “Thor, you – you – fool,” she whispered, struggling to stand from the stool to reach Misty. “I swear by my Goddess that if you say one more word, I shall make you regret it. I will not hesitate to summon your mother!”

There was no air, Misty thought blindly. She couldn’t breathe. “No. Not him.” She groped blindly as her vision dimmed. “Fuck,” she whispered. “Oh, crap.”

Hands caught hers – strong, scarred hands. She couldn’t tell who it was, couldn’t breathe. Goddess, she couldn’t breathe. “Clear out,” Tony ordered, his eyes never leaving Misty’s face. “Steve, Catriona – you two stay. Everyone else out.” He didn’t look up to see if he was obeyed. Bruce ushered Thor, Darcy, Erik, and Jane out of the room. Pepper hovered in the doorway but did not leave. Steve started to move towards Misty, but Tony shook his head sharply. “Stay where you are, Spangles. Misty? Can I come closer?” She managed to nod jerkily. He lifted one of her hands and pressed it to his chest. “I want you to breathe with me, alright?”

“I can’t,” she gasped.

“You can,” Tony promised. He pressed her palm against his chest and inhaled deeply. She managed a short breath. “There you go. Good girl. Again.” They breathed in tandem, his eyes never leaving her face. “In… out.” He brought her other hand to his face and pressed it into his cheek. “See, you’re okay. Plenty of air here. I kicked everybody out – I can do that, it’s my building. You can take as much time as you need here, Buffy.” He couldn’t remember who he’d heard call her that, but it suited her to the ground – and hearing it seemed to relax her further. “You’re safe here, I promise. Nobody can get to you here. You’re in Stark Tower, surrounded by the fucking Avengers. Nobody is getting to you, you got me? We fended off an alien invasion, Summers – we’re sure as shit going to keep you safe.” 

Realization hit Steve, accompanied by nausea so potent he was momentarily afraid he’d vomit where he stood. Until Tony’d said it – said that there was a reason to fear – Steve hadn’t allowed himself to put it together. Misty, with a female partner that she was clearly devoted to. A pregnancy that she felt had to be hidden, that obviously wasn’t planned. A fear for her safety at the mention of the father of her baby. It added up to one truth that he could no longer avoid: some monster had raped his Misty. He met Catriona’s eyes, desperate to be wrong – to see a denial there. Instead, he saw the same pained understanding. The druid held out her hand to Steve and he took it, swallowing hard.

As the worst of the panic receded, Misty started to cry. Slowly – so that she could pull away or resist if he was reading her wrong – Tony pulled her into his arms. “Let it out,” he whispered to her. “It’s okay, Misty. You’re safe here. I swear on my life – on Iron Man – you and your baby are safe here.” That was all the encouragement she needed to let loose, clinging to him and sobbing into the worn cotton of his band shirt. He never hushed her, never gave any indication of impatience. Tony just soothed with a continued stream of reassurances, one hand rubbing her back and the other cupping the back of her head against his shoulder.

Pepper watched in complete shock. Up until this very moment, she’d have sworn on a stack of bibles that Tony would avoid a crying woman like the plague – and a pregnant one even more. She’d have laid money on him saying the wrong thing, on him being the one to upset her – not the one to comfort her. Seeing this, she was ashamed of herself. Had she bought into his public image? Or had Tony really changed that much in the past few days?

By the time Misty pulled back from Tony, she felt as drained as CJ had looked. She opened her mouth to apologize, only to be preempted. “Nope. Don’t want to hear it. If you apologize for your panic attack, then I’ll have to apologize for mine… and I don’t do apologies,” Tony said firmly. He brushed her blonde hair back from her face. “So just don’t. Okay?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was rough, throat aching from sobs.

When she swayed on her feet, Tony shot a look at Steve. “C’mon, Spangles. Put your muscles to good use and help the girl – help her to a chair.” Tony seemed reluctant to release her, moving instead to sit down next to her. “Now’s where I need you to tell me what you need, kid.” He took her hands again. “You want to be alone? Need to call Agent? Food? Really expensive shoes?”

That last made Misty huff out a weak laugh. “No shoes. I should eat, but – I need to call ducks.” She freed one hand to cover her belly. “I need her.”

“Alright. How about if you go on down to the workshop with the pixie, and you call your ducks,” Tony suggested, guessing that the druid knew the identity of the mysterious lover, based on their earlier conversation with Phil. “When CJ’s done in the shower, I’ll send him down with dinner.” He paused. “Does he already know about the baby and…?” Misty nodded. That was good – Tony would have broken the news to him if he had to, but he was relieved it wasn’t necessary. “When you’re ready, you can invite whoever else down that you want.”

“You and Bruce and Steve,” Misty said immediately. “After I talk to ducks.”

“Then you’ve got us,” Tony promised. He didn’t see the look that Pepper shot him – equal parts shock and dismay. “Can Steve help you get settled? Or do you want just you and Catriona at first?”

Misty looked at Steve. “I don’t… I don’t have an aversion to men.”

“That’s fine, but that’s not what I asked,” Tony said with a small smile.

“Yeah, I’d like the help.” She tried to rise and wobbled. Steve leapt to support her, waiting until she was balanced before picking Catriona up. “Is it wrong that I kind of want you to carry me, too?”

Steve hoped he kept his heartbreak hidden. Damn, but that squeezed at him. “Not wrong at all, doll.” Carefully he arranged Catriona in his left arm, then scooped Misty into his right. “Guess the supersoldier serum has unexpected uses, eh?”

“It does.” Misty laid her head on his shoulder.

Tony waited until the three of them were in the elevator before dropping his head to his hands. He hadn’t noticed Pepper watching. “J, monitor Misty for me, please. If her respiration goes wonky again, I want an alert – made that top priority. If she needs me, I don’t care what the hell else I’m doing, alright?”

“Certainly, Sir.”

He closed his eyes. “Is there any record on this fuckwad? Do we know who he is? I want an alert if he gets within a thousand yards of this building.”

“There are no police records of any assault upon Miss Summers.”

“Fuck that,” Tony growled. “Check the SHIELD files we copied on the helicarrier. They might not have gone to the local yokels, but I bet there’s a damned investigation. The pixie wasn’t surprised – and I’d bet the mansion in Malibu that Phil knows. He called her grasshopper – but they kept talking about a cricket. Dollars to donuts they were talking about the baby.”

JARVIS paused. “I shall do my best to uncover the information, Sir. Shall I send an inquiry to Agent Coulson?”

“No!” Tony rose and started to pace. “Not unless we have to. They’re off on their sex sabbatical, and there’s something I never want to think about again.” He pivoted at the far end of the kitchen and caught sight of Pepper. “Jesus, you scared me. How long have you been standing there?”

“I never left.” She crossed to him, hesitantly offering her arms. “Are you okay?”

Tony seized her gratefully, burying his nose in her hair. “I will be. Jesus, the poor girl. I’m going to kill Thor for triggering her like that.”

“From the look on Steve and Catriona’s faces, you’ll have to get in line.” Pepper ran her fingers through Tony’s hair. “You did a good job helping her through that.”

“I’m pretty familiar with panic attacks,” Tony said ruefully. “I know a thing or two about riding them out.”

~ * ~

Bruce had seized Thor by the elbow, ready to apply force to get him to leave the kitchen if necessary. Erik, Jane, and Darcy followed him without protest. “There are bedrooms,” Bruce said, gesturing vaguely down the hall. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’m sure someone will let you know when – when dinner is resuming.”

Erik slid his arm around Jane, meeting Bruce’s eyes briefly. “Thank you.” He led the petite astrophysicist to a bedroom and shut the door behind them.

Thor’s attention was not on the departing scientists, but on the closed kitchen door. “I… have erred greatly here, have I not?”

“Yeah, you done fucked up,” Darcy agreed.

Bruce was unable to entirely stifle a growl. “I don’t know how you knew she was pregnant – ”

“I am also considered a God of Fertility,” Thor explained.

“Do. Not. Interrupt. Me,” Bruce snarled. His eyes flashed green and he closed them, taking several measured breaths. He’d seen panic attacks before, of course – but few had affected him as deeply as Misty’s. He did not like seeing someone he considered a friend in such abject terror. Their friendship might be new and fragile and untested, but it was there – and he would do whatever it took to nurture that.

Thor subsided immediately. He was overwhelmed by the young woman’s reaction, did not understand it. Misty was not newly gravid – by his observation, she was nearly halfway through her pregnancy. Why would speaking of it cause her such extreme reaction? The babe appeared healthy, as did the mother.

After a moment, Bruce opened his eyes again, his attention fixed on Thor. “You must never, ever mention a pregnancy unless you have heard the mother do so already. This is crucial, Thor.”

“I accept the rule, but I do not understand it,” Thor murmured.

“What if she’s ill, having problems with the baby? Not Misty,” he added hastily, “but any woman? What if she doesn’t intend to remain pregnant? Or – if she does decide to carry to term, but is not going to raise the child?” It was clear from Thor’s expression that none of those possibilities had occurred to him. “You cannot assume that for someone else, Thor. Never.”

“I shall defer to my shieldbrother’s wisdom on the matter.” Thor’s voice was a low rumble, his eyes downcast. “But… I still do not understand… why would speaking of her babe cause Misty such distress?”

Darcy’s arms wrapped around herself. She could guess. She met Bruce’s eyes, and saw the same conclusion in them. Shivering, she scooted closer to Thor. It was a possibility most women feared at some point, wasn’t it?

“I don’t think Misty chose to get pregnant,” Bruce said finally. Regret colored his tone, deep and bruising. “For that matter, I don’t think she chose to have sex with the man at all.”

“But – ” The objection was immediate, and just as quickly stifled. “That… does that happen… often?” Thor’s expression was more open than Bruce had seen it – devasted and heartsick. Bruce wondered how much of it was mirrored on his own face.

It was Darcy that answered. “Yeah. It happens a lot. Maybe not the baby part – but. Statistically, one in six women in the US has been the victim of an attempted… or completed… rape.” She leaned against Thor’s side, glad when his arm came up around her shoulders. “You don’t have that on Asgard?”

“It is rare.” Thor shook his head slowly. “The punishment appears to be sufficient deterrent.” Bruce made a soft inquiring noise. “He is put to death, of course – a man who forces a woman against her will. She is allowed to take his life… or to have her female relatives do so.” He paused. “The Lady Sif has performed this duty, when a woman had no one left in her line to act in her defense.”

Darcy barked a laugh. “I knew Sif was a badass.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Less than five percent of reported rapes end in jail time, and definitely not the death penalty – not here.” Bruce raised an eyebrow at Darcy’s statistics – not disputing them, but curious how she came to know them. “I have a political science degree. I focused on media and propaganda… and I did a hell of a lot of work on refuting misinformation campaigns.” Bruce made a mental note – that might be very useful in the future.

Thor didn’t speak further, his expression troubled. Instead, he held close the young woman he called his lightning sister, and tried to devise just how he could atone for the harm he had caused an expectant mother this evening.

~ * ~

Tony and Pepper stood in the kitchen, wrapped silently in each other’s arms, until JARVIS spoke. “CJ is dressed and returning to the kitchen, Sir.”

Tony pulled away from Pepper. “Send him in, J.” When CJ reentered the now-empty kitchen, his eyes went wide. “It’s okay, kid. Deep breath.” Tony didn’t reach for him – he’d been listening that first night, when CJ had pulled away from the pixie’s hug, said he was at his limit. “Everybody’s okay, but before I tell you what happened – how’s your headspace?”

“Not good,” CJ admitted. “But not knowing is going to fuck me up more than anything.”

“Thor made a comment about how fine a mother Misty’s going to make to that baby she’s carrying, and how proud the baby daddy must be.” Tony met CJ’s shocked eyes. “Yeah, she had a meltdown. She’s okay, she’s downstairs in the shop with Catriona. Steve was going to get them settled and come up while Misty calls ducks – whoever the fuck that is. I’m sending you down with dinner for the three of you, and you’re going to eat! Then when Misty’s ready, she’ll have JARVIS page me and Spangles and Jolly Green. Okay? Can you roll with that plan?”

CJ closed his eyes briefly, taking a long breath. Tony watched carefully, but the kid didn’t seem to be tipping into a panic attack of his own. “It’s a good plan.” He took another measured breath. “I might have to add a call to Chief to the schedule, though.”

Tony nodded, moving towards the stove to start piling plates full of food. “You do what you need to, kid. Or ask for what you need – you get you can do that here, right? Agent – your chief trusted me to give you guys sanctuary. I’m way too intimidated by him and his lethal spouses not to take that seriously, okay?”

“Yeah.” CJ opened his eyes finally, watching the engineer. His eyes slid to Pepper, but he didn’t comment. When Tony judged it sufficient food, CJ loaded up his arms and headed down to the workshop, almost plowing into Steve as they crossed paths at the elevator.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Steve sank onto one of the kitchen stools. “They’re bundled into the nest. Misty already had her phone in her hand when I came up.” He sighed. “We should call the others back in. They’ve still got to eat.”

“And I want a word with Thor,” Tony said darkly.

Steve’s eyebrows shot up. “Me too, but maybe we can keep it civil? Pretty sure he could flatten both of us like fuckin’ pancakes iffin’ we push too hard.”

Ah, the Brooklyn was back in Steve’s tone… Tony kept his sigh internal. Too much emotion tonight. “Agreed. JARVIS, alert the others, please.” He stirred a pot on the stove. “After dinner, as long as Misty and the kid are stable, I need a meeting.”

“If you need a meeting, you go to a meeting,” Steve said immediately. “They’ll understand. Bruce and I can handle it.”

Pepper blinked. That sort of instant acceptance spoke of some knowledge of recovering alcoholics or the program they used. It was more than she managed, usually… to her shame. God, were they better for him in everything?

Tony shot Steve an amused smile as they waited. “Maybe I just want to make sure everyone’s settled so they don’t tear up my Tower while I’m out.”

“Sure.” Steve let the lie stand. If Tony needed to disguise his care as selfishness, Steve could let him… for now. 

Bruce, Thor, Darcy, Jane, and Erik reentered the kitchen. Tony gestured them to the table and began moving serving dishes to it. Steve and Pepper helped. As soon as all eight were seated and food was being passed around, Tony cleared his throat. “Tomorrow, you’re going to apologize to Misty,” he said to Thor. 

“Not tonight?” the demigod asked in a subdued tone.

“No.” Tony traded glances with Steve before continuing. “She needs time, and so do the rest of us.” He unfolded his napkin and spread it across his lap. “How old are you, Thor?” The demigod’s brow furrowed and he started to answer, but Tony waved a hand. “Not in Earth years. Relative to your people. Are you a kid? Old man? Prime of life? Just out of adolescence?”

Thor looked down at his lap. “I am a man, but not of great years. By my people’s reckoning, I am old enough to have some years experience in battle, but were I not Crown Prince, I would likely not have command of others.”

That was more honest than Tony had expected. “Alright. You get a pass – one pass, and just fucking one – for speaking without thinking tonight, because it’s been a long couple of days and you’re not old enough to have figured out that silence is the better option when you’re dealing with a raging woman.” He glanced around the table. “At least, in my experience.”

Erik murmured a soft agreement, earning him an elbow in the side by Jane. “Is the lass well?” Erik asked seriously. “She looked…”

“She’s as well as she can be,” Steve sighed. “She’s a helluva dame, that one – got just as much moxie as you, Miss Potts.” Steve gave her a crooked, charming smile. “Which is almost as much as Peggy Carter.”

“I don’t know how I feel about that,” Pepper said dryly, ignoring Tony’s snort of amusement. “But I think she’ll be fine.”

Jane raised an eyebrow at Thor. “Guess that’s your thing, turning young women’s lives upside down with a few words?”

“Janey!” Erik objected sharply.

“Tis a fair accusation,” Thor murmured. “I have not done well by my female acquaintances of late.”

Darcy reached across the table to cover his hand with her own. “You do okay with me, big guy. Probably because it’s hella hard to piss me off or shock me, but. Still. There’s hope for you yet.”

“Let’s all just get some food in us,” Tony suggested. “And then Spangles, Jolly Green, and I are on call for the pixie, Buffy, and the kid.” Pepper shot him a strange look that he didn’t understand. “You guys can entertain yourselves. JARVIS, whatever they want, got it?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Bruce glanced around the table, and for a half a breath his eyes glowed green. “Let’s give everyone a chance to get their balance back tonight.”

No one argued – not with the deep rumble in his voice.

~ * ~

The elevator had barely shut behind Steve when Misty brought up a video call to Maria. Her hands were shaking, almost too much to operate the device. When Maria picked up, Misty let out a long, slow breath. “Ducks.”

“Bunny?” Maria’s eyes focused on her sharply. She was in her office at SHIELD HQ with the door shut. “Misty, what’s wrong?”

Misty nearly burst into tears again. “I just had a complete meltdown because Thor is even better at saying insensitive things than Papa Alex is.”

“Are you alright? Are you alone?” Maria sat up in her chair. “I can be there in under two hours, bunny, just say the word.”

“I’m okay,” Misty choked out. “Catriona’s here. CJ’ll be down in a bit. You don’t have to drop everything.” She swiped irritably at her eyes. “Goddess, I’m such a fucking mess, I cry at everything!”

Catriona plucked Misty’s phone out of her hands. “Laoch scail… Thor managed to announce Misty’s pregnancy, and… given the way things were said and reacted to, I think it highly likely that all in the room are aware that cricket was not… consensual.”

“Oh. Shit.” Maria covered her mouth with her hand.

“Indeed.”

Misty took her phone back, tracing her finger over Maria’s image. “It’s not really how I’d planned for anybody to find out. But… I mean, I managed to keep your name out of it.”

“Sweetheart…” Maria leaned forward, her eyes intent. “I don’t expect you to do that.”

“I understand you not feeling comfortable with the others knowing,” Misty continued, in a maddeningly reasonable voice. “I get it.”

Any reservations Maria might have felt fled at the catch in her bunny’s voice. “Oh, love.” She ached to hold Misty tightly to her. “I didn’t mean you to have to keep us from everyone. Just… SHIELD. If you can’t trust Captain America with a secret, who can you?” She watched Misty’s eyes fall at ‘secret’ and inwardly cursed.

“I doubt Tony is very good at it,” Misty said in a small voice.

“I don’t care.” And to her surprise, she really didn’t. “I’d rather SHIELD didn’t know, but it’s not worth making you think I don’t want this, bunny. Want you. Us.”

“I don’t blame you for wanting it to be secret,” Misty continued, in an entirely unconvincing protest. “It’s okay. I’m not upset about that.”

Maria rubbed her forehead. “I am not ashamed of you. That is not why I don’t want SHIELD to know, bunny.” Seeing that Misty still didn’t understand, Maria sighed. “I don’t want gossip about us to distract people from cleaning up New York, and SHIELD. It’s a fucking mess, and right now people are scared and desperate. They’ll latch on to anything, and if other agents find out about you and I – and the cricket – right now, that’s all they’ll want to talk about. I won’t be able to get any work done, and people are counting on me. There are agents who need help – agents that used to report to Phil, or who lost handlers in the Battle. There are departments that need leadership, and I’m what they’ve got. I didn’t stick around at SHIELD for Fury, remember?” she continued, her fingers stroking her phone as though Misty could feel it. “I did it for all the agents that don’t have a Phil Coulson to rely on. I can’t give them Phil or you, but I can pick up the slack. I just can’t do it with every busybody in the place wanting to see sonogram pictures, okay?”

“You’d be okay with telling them? Someday?” Misty asked softly.

“I intend to put pictures of the cricket up as soon as I can,” Maria assured her. “You and the cricket both, and our family. I’ve got to get some stuff straightened out, and I’ve got to reassure some people that I’m trustworthy even though my name isn’t Coulson – but I’m not going to hide you forever, bunny. And never from our family, okay? And before you object… if Phil trusts them with you, they count as family.”

“Okay.” Misty sniffled a little and wiped at her eyes. “I won’t miss the crying jags.”

Maria chuckled. “At least you look beautiful when you cry. Your eyes get bigger, more luminous, and you get a doe-eyed look… I just look blotchy and red.”

The elevator opened, and CJ entered with food. “Oh, good, you’re still on the phone.” He strode over and handed Catriona a plate, sinking down on the mattress next to Misty. “Hi, Ria.”

“Hey, faireoir.” Maria looked him over carefully. “Why do you look like you’ve gone ten rounds on the obstacle course?”

“Because…” CJ began before realizing he didn’t have a decent explanation. He sighed.

“Because he is more like me than he wishes to admit,” Catriona said softly. “And thinks to avoid nightmares by avoiding sleep.”

“In my defense, that method worked for you for a really long time,” CJ pointed out, gesturing with his fork as he began to eat. 

Catriona sighed. “Not well.” She pushed the food on her plate around idly.

“Eat,” Maria urged. “Don’t make me call Phil.”

That earned her a small smile from Catriona and another bite. “We should call him anyway.”

“Yes, please,” CJ sighed. “I didn’t realize how – I’m so damned dependent on him.”

Misty scooted closer to CJ and leaned against his arm. “No more than I am on ducks.”

CJ frowned. “That’s… a disturbingly good point.”

“It’s not like I mind – or that Phil minds,” Maria pointed out. “I bet he misses you just as much, faireoir.”

He hummed in response. “Maybe so.” He ate another bite. “I let Tony call me kid.” Misty raised an eyebrow, surprised at the change in subject. “And I asked Phil to call me kiddo. I… think I like it. It feels… like taking something back, something that was stolen from me. I didn’t get to be a kid before.”

“If that’s what you want, kiddo, I can work with that,” Maria said softly. CJ breathed out a soft, contented noise, settling more solidly into his spot on the mattress. “Feels good, I take it?”

“Yeah.” He offered her a small, shy smile. “Is it weird?”

Misty snorted. “Little brother, if we worried about what was weird, none of us would get anything else done.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “Eat your dinner. We’ll call Sensei, and then summon our resident Avengers – minus the God of Thunder – down to guard us from nightmares.”

“I’ll let you get back to it.” Maria blew a kiss to the camera. “I love you, bunny.” She paused. “Do you want me to call and introduce myself as your ducks to Steve? Or Tony?”

“Nah. I appreciate that, but I’ll manage.” Misty blew an answering kiss to Maria. “I love you too, ducks. Talk soon. Preferably without the panic attack first.” She ended the call and started to return the phone to her pocket when it buzzed. “Hell, you must have told Sensei what was going on with the freaky mama mojo,” Misty griped to Catriona. “Hey, Chief.”

Phil’s face swam into view. “Do you want me to ask Natasha to figure out how to scalp a demigod?” Phil asked. “She’d probably enjoy the challenge.”

Misty couldn’t help but laugh. “No.” It was an amusing thought, a bald Thor… but she didn’t need that kind of revenge. “I’m shaken as hell and I’m not looking forward to the conversations I’ll have to have tomorrow, but it wasn’t malicious.”

“Prince Thor is very rarely cruel,” Catriona admitted reluctantly. “Laoch beag compared him to your father, treorai – it is an apt comparison. One of us – and not you, deirfiur beag m’chroi, will need to have a discussion with him about tact.”

Phil sighed. “For the love of little monkeys, please don’t let Tony do it.” Catriona giggled and Misty snorted. “What?”

“I had never heard that phrase until tonight,” Catriona said, looking at Misty. “It amuses me to hear it from both of you, in entirely different contexts. Though,” she hastened to add, “I do agree with the sentiment.”

Misty frowned. “You’re not giving Tony enough credit. The man built – alright, he didn’t build but he kept going – a multi-billion dollar company. He might choose not to use it, but I bet he can be both tactful and diplomatic as hell when he wants or needs to be.” 

“You’re right,” Phil agreed quietly. “That isn’t why I object. Tony is… extremely protective of the people he cares about. I think you are – or are becoming – one of them, grasshopper. Knowing that… I’ve seen what he can do, when someone under his protection is threatened. I’d rather not have him unleash the full power of his anger on Thor, and potentially start an intergalactic war.”

“Alright,” Misty conceded. “Fair point. It probably shouldn’t be Steve then, either.” Based on the looks Steve had given her in the kitchen and again when he brought them down to the workshop, the supersoldier had been about half a second from busting heads on her behalf. It was charming… and a little frustrating. “We’ll talk about it tonight,” Misty promised. “No wars will be fought over this. It was an accident, and there’s no long term harm done. I’m fine, the cricket’s fine. I’d have had to have told everyone eventually anyway – it’ll be okay,” she added, when Phil’s face still looked drawn. “Really, Sensei. We’ll all get a good night’s sleep, and tomorrow we’ll start another thrilling episode of ‘The Avengers Rescue and Recovery Show!’ and it’ll just… we’ll just soldier on.”

Phil nodded slowly. “Alright.” He seemed to struggle with something for a moment before blurting, “Grasshopper? Is CJ with you?”

“I’m right here, Chief.” CJ leaned closer to Misty so that the camera would pick them both up. “Hi.” Even just the image of his clanchief made CJ uncoil. “Goddess, I miss you.”

“We miss you too,” Phil said, brushing his fingers against the screen. “Catriona tells me you’re being a little too much like her, kiddo. Do I need to order you to have a dreamless night of sleep?”

“Do you think it would work?” He sounded so young, and so desperate, that Phil’s heart broke.

“We can try.” Phil straightened his shoulders and looked directly into the camera. “All three of you are to have peaceful, restful nights – and that is an order from your clanchief.”

Misty’s eyebrows went up as her shoulders relaxed. “Guess we’ll find out overnight if it works.” She set aside her mostly empty plate. “I’ve got a question.”

“Anything for you, grasshopper.”

“I know Tony’s on his way to becoming one of us, and I’m guessing Steve is too… is Bruce? Do they know? Can I… are they clan?” Misty asked softly. 

Phil rubbed his face, glancing somewhere offscreen. Probably at either Clint or Natasha – neither was visible on the video. “Consider them clan,” Phil said quietly. “I don’t know yet how it’ll happen – and Bruce and Steve don’t have Gaelic names yet – but they feel like ours already.”

“Yeah, they do.” CJ slumped down against Misty, making a neat pile at the edge of the bed of all three plates. “Thor kinda does too – word vomit aside. Not the same? But… he feels… safe.”

“Good.” Phil wanted to reach through and brush the hair off CJ’s forehead. “How about the others? Miss Lewis, and Doctors Selvig and Foster?”

“I like Erik,” CJ said after a moment. “I really like Darcy. I might like Jane, if she made an effort.”

Humming thoughtfully, Phil nodded. “I don’t feel any of them in the clan yet, but I’ll keep an astral eye open.” His attention was caught by something off-screen. “I’ve got to go rescue Clint from the barn – it’s feeding time, and the donkey has taken an inappropriate interest in my husband.” They could hear Clint’s outraged – and amused – protest in the background. “Call at any time,” he added, his expression serious. “I’d rather you call fifty times when you’re not sure need me than not call me when you really do.”

“Yes, sir.” Misty blew him a kiss before ending the call and tucking herself around Catriona. CJ curled up against her back. “JARVIS, you can let Steve and Tony and Bruce know they’re welcome whenever.”

“I shall, Miss Summers.”

~ * ~


	6. Chapter 6

After dinner, Bruce and Steve lingered at the table with Pepper and Tony, waiting for a signal from Misty. At least… three people at the table were waiting. 

The fourth was thinking very hard.

When JARVIS announced that their presence was welcome now, Bruce and Steve headed to the elevator immediately. Pepper caught Tony’s hand as he rose. “Can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure.” Tony looked at Steve. “Let Buffy know, okay?” Steve nodded and saluted with two fingers as the elevator closed. “What’s up, Pep?”

“I was hoping you’d sleep in the penthouse with me tonight,” she managed to get out. The words tasted like ash.

Tony blinked. “Do you need me to?” His hand went to her cheek, cupping it in his hand and stroking his thumb over her cheekbone.

Pepper pressed her cheek into his hand, closing her eyes. That was the crux of the thing, wasn’t it? Needing? She’d come to the Tower in the wee hours this morning thinking Tony needed her, and he… didn’t. Didn’t need her to pry him out of the shop, didn’t need her to browbeat him into eating, didn’t need her to beg him to sleep. Instead, he was rearranging his life to suit the needs of others… and they did appear to need him. Moreover, Tony seemed to thrive on being needed.

Was that the key to him, all this time? Had she held him back, by being someone who never needed him?

A part of her knew that wasn’t fair. A year ago, this would have been a much different scenario. She’d probably have come to the Tower to find him drunk, high, or both – probably fucking away his fear with a gaggle of pretty young things with no regard for how it would look.

The logical, rational section of her mind could correlate the changes in Tony with the fact that it had been nearly a year since his last drink – could track his personal growth in fits and starts as he’d joined a program, gotten a sponsor, and worked the steps.

But that voice was quiet now… or at least, drowned out by the screaming of an overwhelmed, overworked psyche who’d gone from orchestrating a world-changing announcement in green energy to watching her boyfriend fly a nuclear missile through a portal to outer space while she watched on a goddamn video screen on a jet at 40,000 feet, unaware that he was trying to call her as he committed suicide on live TV.

She wished like hell that she could admit she needed him – or that he could see it in her, as he obviously saw it in others. She didn’t want to have to tell him… wanted him to know.

“No,” Pepper said finally. “But the mattress up here has to be better for your back.” It burned, how thinly veiled that request was… but it was enough to hide her true meaning from Tony.

Tony caught her gaze, his thumb stilling on her face. “You could come down with me. I don’t think anyone would mind.” CJ might, if they got too handsy… hell, Steve would mind that too, but Tony could restrain himself for their sakes.

“No.” She closed her eyes to escape his scrutiny. “You know how hard it is for me to sleep around people.” She tried again – giving him another opportunity to see through the veil. She had never wanted – needed – him to do that. Never allowed herself to admit that she closed herself off from him, much less that she wanted him to see through it.

He slid his hand down from her cheek to her neck, using it to pull her close for a kiss. “Alright. Have J buzz me if you need me.” Tony lingered in the kiss, but it tasted bittersweet to Pepper. She knew she wouldn’t be calling for him tonight – she wondered if she ever would. “Will I see you for breakfast?”

“Yes.” She pressed her forehead to his. “Will that be all, Mister Stark?”

He kissed her once more, soft as dew on night-blooming jasmine. “That will be all, Miss Potts.”

~ * ~

“JARVIS,” Tony said as the elevator doors shut. “Better double the grocery order. Maybe triple it. Did you see the amount of food that got put away at dinner? Jesus. I’m going to be spending all my damned time cooking.”

“Shall I hire someone for you, Sir?”

Tony tapped his fingers against his chin. “No. Pretty sure the others wouldn’t be comfortable with that. But maybe we can work out a schedule to share… Bruce cooks. Make a note, we’ll discuss it over breakfast.”

“Very good, Sir.”

Shaking his head, Tony leaned back against the rear wall. “Most times when you talk I hear you, AI-JARVIS. Every now and again, I hear human-JARVIS.”

There was a small pause. “I apologize if this upsets you, Sir.”

“Doesn’t upset me, J-man. Wouldn’t have used his voice if it did.” Tony smiled a little. “Maybe all the emotion tonight is catching. Speaking of! Let’s get a full array of OB-GYN equipment in here. Ultrasound machine, the whole nine yards. Whatever’s necessary to keep Misty and the baby healthy. Remind me to check with Bruce and see if he can handle it, or if we need to find and vet an OB.” 

“Miss Potts has already vetted an OB-GYN for her routine care; perhaps this individual can be contacted?”

Tony hummed. “Yeah, if that doc passes Pep’s scrutiny, they’re safe enough for Misty.” His mouth turned up in a fond smile. “She’s so damned amazing, J. Pep, I mean. All of this shit going on, and she’s still worrying about my damned back. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” JARVIS didn’t respond, but Tony didn’t think anything of it. “See if she’s marked anything she likes in the summer catalog of that shoe place. You know, those tall ones that make the click-ring noise on the foyer floor?”

“Miss Potts has indicated two pairs, Sir. Shall I display images for you?”

“Nah. Order them both. Kickass shoes for my kickass girl. And… let’s see… a pair of silk pajamas. Green jade. You know the ones I mean, right?” Something to make her sleep easier, he thought whimsically – and it didn’t hurt that she looked absolutely stunning in that color.

“I do, Sir.”

“You’re the best, J.”

~ * ~

Steve and Bruce stepped off the elevator into the workshop together to find Catriona, Misty, and CJ already tangled together on one mattress. Steve couldn’t help his smile. “You three look cozy.” He glanced over his shoulder at Bruce to see a matching smile. “Tony said he’d be down in a minute. Where do you want us?”

CJ shivered. “I don’t know if I can do this,” he whispered.

Bruce halted, reaching out to stop Steve. “Alright,” he said calmly. “What do you need to feel safe? I know that Catriona needs to be touching people – and Misty seems to like that as well. What do you need, CJ?”

The answer on the tip of his tongue was that he needed Phil, but that wasn’t an option. “I don’t know.”

“What is it Chuckles does for you?” Misty asked, swiveling to look at CJ better. “Gives you a bedroll and puts you out of sight?” He nodded slowly. “Alright. Let’s build you a hide, little brother. Just like one of cuz’s shooting nests, yeah?”

“I don’t want to be a burden,” CJ whispered, hugging his knees to his chest. “I can just sleep at the far edge of the mattress.

Steve laughed a little. CJ froze, and the supersoldier hastened to explain. “I ain’t laughin’ at you, CJ. I’m laughin’ because ginger – Catriona – spent a fair while this mornin’ complainin’ about bein’ a burden. She isn’t, nor are you.” Steve crouched where he stood so that he could make better eye contact with the young man. “I once hauled a bedroll eighteen feet up a rock face so that my sniper could rest, knowin’ nobody could sneak up on him. Settin’ up a hide here ain’t a problem.”

“That isn’t… why I need…” CJ began, but Steve shook his head.

“You can tell me iffin’ you want, kid,” Steve said softly. “But I ain’t pressin’. Don’t matter why you need it.” He rose then, crossing to a cabinet that he knew held more blankets. “Where do you want to bed down?”

Bruce scanned the room, his eyes falling on a small futon in a rear corner. He pointed. “I figured there’d be a crash landing pad in here.” When Steve raised an eyebrow, Bruce shrugged. “Tony strikes me as a workaholic. Most scientists I know have a couch in their labs or workshops, so they don’t have to go home when they need sleep. We can shift a cabinet or something to hide it from view.”

“No,” CJ said after a moment. “I don’t… not hidden.” He snaked his hand out and caught Misty’s fingers in his. “Could we put it over here? And… and I could maybe reach down, like I do at the dojo?”

“Absolutely,” Misty said immediately. “That would be great. I would much rather have you where I can lay eyes on you, little brother.” She tugged his hand until he slid closer, tucking himself under her arm.

Steve crossed to the futon, picking it up easily and bringing it across the lab to settle at the head of the mattress, close to where CJ and Misty were sitting. “How’s that?” he asked, stepping back. 

“Perfect.” CJ seized a blanket and crawled up onto the futon, wrapping himself up in it like a burrito and extending his hand to Misty.

Once CJ was situated, Bruce kicked off his shoes and sank onto the mattress. “Are you alright with me staying here at your feet? It seemed like a good way to stay in contact without crowding anyone.”

Catriona nodded sleepily. She curled closer to Misty, yawning. “You are a very good foot warmer, staideartha cior thuathail.”

“I don’t know what that means, but thanks.” Bruce sat down on the foot of the mattress, arranging himself until Catriona could tuck her feet under him. “Your feet are welcome here too, Misty.” It was too early for him to contemplate sleep, so he pulled a StarkTab to him and pulled up some of the research he’d been working on earlier in the day.

The elevator opened again, revealing Tony. He noted the change in furniture but didn’t comment. “Oh good, I didn’t miss the cuddle negotiations. Where do you want me, Sparkle? Buffy?”

“I got the same question,” Steve agreed. He was standing to the side of the mattresses. “Last night, Catriona slept between me ‘n Tony, doll. We can do that again, but you’d hafta decide who you want next to you.”

Misty snorted. “I call dibs on the supersoldier pillow.” She patted the space next to her. “I think it’s interesting that there’re two mattress in here, but we’re all squishing onto one.”

“I can sleep on the other one,” Tony offered instantly. “I don’t want to crowd anybody.”

“I said it was interesting, not that it bothered me.” Misty pointed imperiously at the space they’d left on Catriona’s other side. “The clan sleeps like this sometimes at the dojo – the triad’s house,” she explained softly. “Usually I’ve got my ducks to wrap around instead of the pixie,” and she tugged on one of Catriona’s curls, “but it’s not really that weird for us.”

“We’d have had cocoa and brownies for dessert at the dojo, though,” CJ said sleepily. “And Harry Potter.”

Bruce snorted a laugh. “How does Harry Potter fit into this?”

“Natasha reads aloud to us,” Misty said wistfully. “Maybe we could do a Skype session tomorrow. You think she’d read online for us, faireoir?”

“Sure,” CJ mumbled. “Tell her the cricket wants a bedtime story.”

Misty squeezed CJ’s hand fondly as she settled against Steve. It took her a moment to realize the men were all silent. “It’s okay, we can talk about the elephant in the room. It’s a very tiny elephant. Like, pear sized, according to my baby app.”

“When are you due?” Bruce asked.

“Couple of days before Halloween.” Misty leaned back against Steve, feeling the tension in the supersoldier’s body. “Damn, Steve. I’m pregnant, not porcelain.” She reached for his arm and tugged it around herself. “Cuddle properly. I’m sure you know how.”

Steve chuckled a little. “Yes, ma’am.” He tucked her close to his body, letting his hand drape over her to rest on Catriona’s side. He wondered if the cuddling would bother CJ the way other kinds of touch did. He seemed to touch Misty freely enough – Catriona too, though not as much. “You get everyone settled in upstairs, Tony?”

“Yep.” The engineer dug out a StarkPad of his own, this one with holographic capabilities, and blew up a large diagram of the Tower. “Thor, his lady love, grumpy scientist, and busty co-ed all tucked into rooms. Pep’s in the penthouse.”

“Point of order,” CJ said, sounding near to sleep. “Jane’s definitely not Thor’s lady.”

“No,” Bruce agreed with a sigh. “I saw that too.”

Tony and Steve traded looks. “Alright, spill,” Tony ordered. “What happened?”

CJ blew out a breath. “We got to Tromso, and Erik walked straight to Jane and kissed her – and before you ask, I do know the difference between a friendly kiss and something more and this was most definitely the latter.” He shivered a little. “Thor looked like somebody’d walked on his grave. Darcy and I hustled him out of there, but he’s shaken. I guess… it sounded like he thought they had something, and they… didn’t. Or at least, Jane didn’t.”

“Ouch.” Tony flinched. “That explains this evening a little better. He’s not operating on all cylinders, is he?”

“Don’t think so.” CJ was more awake now, idly playing with the fingers of Misty’s hand. The squad leader had twisted until she could hold his hand, even though it wasn’t the most comfortable looking position. He appreciated that. It was different, bedding down with near-strangers. Not the same as with the clan. 

“Emotional distress doesn’t earn him a pass for upsetting Misty,” Bruce said mildly.

Misty poked Bruce with her toes. “As long as he apologizes properly tomorrow – which I have no doubt he will – then it’s cool. Like I told Sensei – no long term harm done. It was an accident. It isn’t the first time – and won’t be the last – that somebody’s said something without knowing it was going to trigger somebody.”

“And when we were wrong, promptly admitted it,” Tony quoted softly to himself. “Alright then. Um… does your ducks know that you’re… here?” Tony asked, waving vaguely to include all five on the mattress and CJ on the futon. “Because I kind of figure whoever this mysterious ducks is, she’s a badass woman and I’d rather not piss her off.”

Misty was quiet for a long moment. “Yeah. She knows.” She closed her eyes briefly and hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. “Maria appreciates you stepping in, since she can’t be here.”

“Maria Hill?” Tony asked after a beat. “Fury’s left-hand lady? Deputy Director, badass alpha chick?”

“That’s my ducks.”

“Jesus,” Tony breathed. “Now I feel like making sure I’ve been properly respectful to you, Buffy – because I get the feeling that if I haven’t been, your ducks – fuck, I can’t call Hill that – that she’d eat me alive, and share the scraps with Natasha.”

Catriona chuckled against his chest, her cheek pressed against the arc reactor. “That assumes that laoch beag – Misty – would have tolerated the disrespect herself… you are more likely to get a stake to the heart for it.”

“Seriously?!” Misty complained. “They’ve got you making Buffy jokes too?”

Bruce laughed. “They’re something to sink your teeth into it.” He fully appreciated the groans. “You do look remarkably like her.” He paused. “Except for the baby bump. I don’t remember Buffy ever sporting one of those.”

“Depends on whether you read fanfiction or not,” Misty said, chuckling. “Angie has sent me some that are… creative.” She squinched her toes against Bruce. “Do I really show?”

“Yes,” Bruce and Steve said in unison.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Tony assured her. “Granted, I’ve been accused of not noticing organic lifeforms when there are AIs around…”

“You’re not so bad,” Misty said, stretching her hand across Catriona to touch Tony briefly. “I knew I couldn’t keep it hidden much longer.” She patted her belly, yawning. “Could have done without the panic attack, but I’d have had to admit the cricket soon anyway. Kind of hoped ducks could be here, though.”

Steve debated – because it seemed like a bold move – before settling his hand over her baby bump protectively. The contact seemed to settle them both… Misty’s eyes fluttered shut and stayed that way. “Get some rest, doll,” Steve murmured. “You’ve had a helluva day.”

Tony paused, stroking Catriona’s hair back from her face. “Do you guys mind if I cut out for a couple of hours?” Bruce raised an eyebrow at him. “I could use a meeting. It’s not critical, if you need me to stay – ”

“If you need a meeting, go,” Steve urged.

Misty didn’t bother opening her eyes. “Spangles is right. Go, talk, feel better. Come home and cuddle with us.” She yawned, nuzzling into Steve. 

“Do you want company?” Bruce asked quietly. Tony’s eyes widened and met his. “No, I’m not,” Bruce chuckled in response to the unasked question. “But I’ve done Al-Anon. My… dad…” he trailed off.

“I’m good,” Tony promised. Rising from the mattress, he paused to squeeze Bruce’s shoulder. “I appreciate the offer, but I’d feel better knowing you’re here with the pixie. Have J buzz me if there’s an emergency… we need to set up some kind of alert system.”

Steve snorted. “I’ll yell ‘Avengers, Assemble!’ real loud.”

“Smart ass.” Tony smirked at him. “I’ll be back soon.”

~ * ~


	7. Chapter 7

It took six pots of coffee, two kettles of tea, and two dozen eggs before anyone in the Tower broached any subject more serious than ‘Pass the syrup.’

“I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the day that someone drank more coffee than you, Janey,” Erik remarked to the petite astrophysicist – watching Tony drain his coffee much for the umpteenth time.

“Oh, this is nothing,” Misty waved a careless hand. “There’s eleven of us, and we’re only up to pot eight? Weak.” Catriona snickered into her teacup. “Don’t give me lip, pixie, you’re guilty of it too.”

“I have positively no notion what you mean,” Catriona said loftily. She was managing to feed herself this morning and was inordinately pleased by that.

CJ grinned. “Six pots of coffee barely gets Chief and Cuz rolling.” His eyes sparkled mischievously. “You remember that op we ran with ATF in Maryland? I’ve never seen a barista cry before.”

Bruce raised his eyebrows. “I do believe I’d like to hear the rest of that story.”

Misty snickered, refilling her cup with more Unitea. “Can’t tell you all of it – classified – but the important parts… Clint, Sensei, CJ, and two of our teammates – Lance and Chuck – were stuck in a tactical operations room with half a dozen ATF agents for something like thirty hours – ”

“Twenty-nine hours and seventeen excruciating minutes,” CJ added around a bite of eggs.

“One, don’t interrupt me. Two, don’t talk with your mouth full. Anyway, apparently the Legend of Agent Coulson now has an addendum… they weren’t making jack shit progress, so CJ and Chuck made a foray into town for higher quality brew. They bought out the whole stock of roasted beans at some little independent shop – because Chuck is an absolute sucker for hipster coffee, but don’t ever tell him I told you so.”

CJ started to chuckle. “So we get back to the war room, and there’s Phil in his suit, and Clint in his field uniform, and Lance… well, he always just looks like a nerd… and we pass around the real high octane brew and I shit you not – fifteen minutes later Phil and Lance trade this look, and Lancelock shouts something, and suddenly agents are running around following the orders Phil’s snapping out – ”

“And in under an hour, they’d wrapped up an arms bust that netted almost a mil in weapons and eight arrests,” Misty finished, grinning. “I thought the ATF agent in charge was going to cream his pants.”

Steve choked on his coffee and tried to cover it with a cough. “You were there?”

“Oh, hell no.” Misty shivered. “I was in Sensei’s office at HQ, manning the data feeds. No – I haven’t done field work aside from training since…” she patted her stomach. “Apparently me being in the field makes my team twitchy.”

“You were on the helicarrier…?” Bruce asked delicately.

“Well, yeah. End of the world trumps a preference for desk jobs.” Misty looked down into her teacup. “More was in danger than the cricket.”

Steve blew out a breath. “But you’ll stay here now?” He didn’t want to pressure her, but…

“Please?” Tony added.

Misty looked between Steve and Tony with a raised eyebrow, and caught the pleading look from Bruce as well. She started to chuckle. “Yeah. I don’t mind running a crew like I did yesterday, Tony – I might be of more help in the administrative crap you and Miss Potts were handling, too.”

There was a minor commotion at the other end of the table that culminated in Thor rising from his seat next to Darcy and approaching Misty. Steve tensed – she’d been expecting that – but wasn’t entirely prepared for the way Tony and Bruce shifted in their seats as well. “Before the day grows older, Agent Summers… I would ask that you would hear me.” Thor crouched near Misty’s chair – close, but carefully farther from her than Steve.

“I’m not an Agent anymore,” Misty said gently. “But sure. I’m listening.”

Thor glanced at Catriona, then back to Misty. “I mean no disrespect with that title, Ag—Miss Summers.” He bowed his head. “I meant no disrespect last night, either. I spoke without care and caused you great distress. My shieldbrother and lightning sister have shown me mine error – canst thou find a feat I may perform for you, to in some way offer recompense for mine actions?”

Misty pursed her lips. “That depends, big guy. Are you apologizing because you regret causing me pain… or because you got yelled at for it?”

“I will admit, there is an element of the second part in this,” Thor said ruefully. “But more critically, I do lament that my ignorance brought you such suffering. Chief Coulson considers you a strong warrior, and you are a valued member of Lady Catriona’s clan – both those facts set you in high regard, even were I not inclined to respect you on your own merits. Which I do!” he added hastily – perhaps seeing an abortive movement by CJ… or Steve… or Tony.

“Alright.” Misty rose from her seat to step closer to him, resting her hand on Thor’s massive shoulder. “You’re forgiven – and I’m not going to ask you for some wild feat of strength, either.” Confusion drew his brows together. “If you feel like you’ve got to make it up to me, you can agree to go out on the rescue crew with Steve – or a different crew that Tony sends you on.”

Thor nodded solemnly. “I shall accept that duty, Miss Summers.”

“Call me Misty – or Buffy.” She patted his shoulder before stepping away. “So if I’m running a crew,” she said to the table at large – dismissing the heavy emotional moment – “and Steve and Thor are going out… what is everyone else doing? Siege, you going out with Steve?”

“If I’ll be useful.” CJ shrugged. “Not like I’ve got the shoulders to move shit like they do, Buff.”

Steve shook his head. “No, but I bet you can operate one of those scanner things the team is using.”

“There’s always use for a sharp pair of eyes, little brother,” Misty assured him. She pointed at Catriona. “And I know you’re staying here.”

Catriona sighed. “Aye. I will remain in the Tower with you and Bruce. I would be of more use healing the wounded—”

“Not a chance in hell,” CJ cut in. “You set one foot outside this Tower before you’re at one hundred percent, and I’ll be on the phone with Chief before you’ve cleared the lobby.”

“If this is what siblings are like,” Tony whispered to Pepper, “I think I understand why I’m an only child.”

Steve – who’d overheard thanks to supersenses – chuckled. “Reminds me of my baby sister.”

Tony leaned over and poked Steve. “I know the history books get a lot of stuff wrong, Spangles – but there’s no siblings on the books for you.”

“Oh.” Steve flushed. “She ain’t – Becca’s – was – a Barnes. Buck’s baby sister.”

Comprehension flooded Misty seconds before Steve’s face fell. “Deep breath, Steve. We understand all about the family you choose, don’t we kiddo?” She glanced at CJ, who nodded solemnly. “In-laws, outlaws, strays, refugees, and annoying teammates you just can’t get rid of. We get it.” She slid her arm around his neck, standing just to the side of his chair. “We’ll add her to the list of people to look up, alright?” Steve nodded and his jaw worked as he forced himself to calm. They had several lists going – one of pop culture references, another of historical events… but the third and most difficult was of people he’d known, people that mattered to him. Misty decided she’d bump this Becca Barnes up the list – if she’d been his Sergeant’s sister, there was a possibility she was still alive… or maybe her kids? It could give Steve some tether to his lost love. “Doctor Foster? Doctor Selvig? Staying it, I presume? Working in the lab?”

“Unless there’s pressing need for us elsewhere,” Erik agreed. “Will you be joining us, Doctor Banner?”

Bruce shook his head. “I’m on pixie duty,” he said, sending a soft smile in Catriona’s direction. “And I’m working on a different project – identifying and locating Chitauri technology in the rubble.”

“Pep and I’ve got an emergency board meeting,” Tony sighed. “We’ll be out of the Tower most of the day, but JARVIS can interrupt if it’s urgent. I’ll be checking my phone—”

“Of course you will,” Pepper muttered.

“—so you can text me or have J pass on a message if it’s not critical.” He pointed a finger at Darcy. “That leaves you, Double D.”

“Tony!” Pepper’s voice was sharp, as was smack of her hand against his shoulder.

Darcy grinned. “I like that one. Don’t freak, Miss Potts. I’ve been called worse. I guess I’m on scientist wrangling duty? I can wrangle for Janey and Erik, and then bounce to check on Doctor Banner, Miss Summers, and Lady Catriona?”

“No need to stand on formality with me,” Bruce assured her. “Bruce is fine.”

“Ditto,” Misty agreed. “You can bounce between us, or I can hook you up doing the kind of wrangling I do – asset handling, remote managing a team. If you get bored gophering, you’re welcome to join me.”

Tony rubbed his hands together. “Alright, then. Sounds like a game plan.”

Steve cleared his throat. “Can we all be back at the Tower by supper time?”

“Sure thing, Spangles.” Tony was glad to hear the captain speak again – he’d been almost completely still in his chair since speaking of his ‘little sister.’ “Anybody got requests for dinner?”

Darcy raised a hand. “I can cook. If the J-man-in-the-moon doesn’t mind helping me order groceries.”

“JARVIS, make a note – what I said last night about whatever they need? Extend it indefinitely.”

“Certainly, Sir.”

“I’ll pitch in with the cooking,” Bruce offered. “If you don’t mind, Miss Lewis?”

“Darcy, please – or Double D.” She gave a saucy wink to Bruce, making sure to include Tony.

CJ leaned over to Misty, though he didn’t take great pains to keep his comment from being overheard. “We can never tell Clint that Tony’s as good or better at nicknames than he is.”

~ * ~

It wasn’t practical for Thor to work on the same crew as Steve and CJ – they didn’t need two massively overpowered people in one place, and it would be more effective to split them up. Thor accepted that gravely. After donning suitable clothing and an earpiece to connect him with Misty, he departed for a farther reach of the clean-up efforts.

Steve and CJ – also with earpieces to Misty – were sent to a massive residential complex that had been sideswiped by one of the Leviathans. Stark Industries engineers had cleared the building structurally – it was unlikely that more of it would come down… unless they had to move massive amounts of debris inside.

It reminded Steve of bombed out buildings he’d seen in France. There was the same dull shock of finding the remnants of ordinary life disrupted so violently… a single child’s shoe pinned beneath a fallen beam. A table, still set with dinner, now abandoned. Heartbreakingly domestic scenes – oil on canvas, slashed through by the wicked blade of destruction.

“You okay?” CJ asked Steve quietly.

The question surprised him. He slid his eyes sideways as they worked together, moving rubble at the direction of the Stark Industries crew leader. Dorsey was a decent leader – not someone Steve could see working with in the long term, but he managed his people well. “I will be.” Steve managed a tight smile.

CJ frowned. “You let me know if you need a break, alright?”

“Yeah.” That was even more surprising… but then, Steve had been shocked by the kid from the moment they’d left the Tower. Between the time he’d kissed Misty’s cheek goodbye and when he slid out of the car here at the worksite, CJ had… changed. Steve wasn’t looking at the scared little brother anymore. There was no trace of his boyish enthusiasm or the vulnerability Steve had seen last night. CJ was a consummate professional. He’d introduced himself to the crew chief was ‘Agent Forrester’ and shook the man’s hand, projecting respectful deference rather than the fear Steve had expected. This was the same kid that flinched away from hugging Catriona – but now blithely accepted a clap on the shoulder from a passing crewmate. 

“Stop looking at me like that,” CJ murmured as he passed Steve.

Realizing he’d been staring, Steve flushed. “Sorry.”

But he couldn’t help it. The kid was a puzzle – well. They all were, really. Steve had met a lot of interesting people in his life, in this time and his childhood, but Misty and her friends might be the most fascinating. 

“Seriously, dude,” CJ hissed half an hour later as they cleared another wrecked apartment. “You can interrogate me at lunch if you fucking stop staring now.”

Steve managed to control himself the rest of the morning, mostly by nearly ignoring CJ altogether. It was probably ruder than the staring, but Steve was at a loss how else to handle it. When they broke for food – catered by another Stark Industries van, and with a massive amount of calories for the supersoldier metabolism – CJ sank down next to Steve and scowled at him.

“What the hell, Steve?” CJ hissed when they were alone – the rest of the crew were congregating closer to the food. “Do I need to have Misty put me with Thor?”

“No.” Steve looked down at the sandwich in his hand. “I really am sorry, I just… you’re… different.”

CJ regarded him silently for several long minutes before nodding. “You didn’t see me on the helicarrier. You’ve only seen… me at home, right?” Steve nodded. “Are Captain America and Steve Rogers the same? The man in the stripes, and the guy eating chow mein with the pixie?”

“Okay, point.” Steve sighed. “I just…”

“Thought you had me pegged as soft and fragile?” CJ’s smile was bitter, sharp. “You haven’t exactly seen me at my best. I’m a trained SHIELD agent, Steve. I’ve got a year and a half under Phil – and before that, almost seven years in what SHIELD calls prerecruitment and you’d probably think of as boarding school.” He frowned into his sandwich. “I’ve probably got more hours of training and missions than you do – don’t glare at me like that. Misty’s told me what kind of training the army didn’t give you.”

“You’re so… young…”

Younger than he’d admit to Steve, at least yet. “Yeah, I am.” CJ leaned forward. “I wasn’t even five the first time I was ordered to make a kill shot. Natasha and I’ve never strictly compared notes, but I’d guess my body count’s close to what hers was at my age. I’m young, Steve – but I’m not naive. I’ve got damage – you’ve seen that. You’re one of a very small group that’s seen it, too.” 

“I’m… flattered seems like the wrong word,” Steve said, fighting down an urge to wrap his arm around CJ’s shoulders. He was nauseous at the kid’s – young man’s – description of his past, and he could tell how carefully CJ was editing the narrative. There was more here, and Steve knew instinctively he wouldn’t like it. “I’m honored, and humbled, that you trust me with that, CJ.”

“Good.” CJ shot him a small, shy smile. “But I need you to understand that I’m more than my damage. I’m a damned good agent. I can put away the other shit and do the job. When I get home… when I’m safe… that’s when I’m the kid. Not here. Get me?”

Steve nodded slowly. “And you need me to not treat you like the kid when you’re not at home?”

“Exactly.”

“I can… try.” Steve offered him a smile. “I’m not great at not fussing over my men, but I’ll try. Buck’ll tell you – ” Steve cut off, his eyes snapping shut. For half a breath, he’d forgotten. Grief seized his chest, clamping down on him as surely as asthma or pneumonia ever had.

“Hey.” CJ was closer now, one slim hand pressing down on Steve’s shoulder. He shifted, positioning himself between Steve and the door, in case the other on Dorsey’s Beta team happened to glance their way. He couldn’t give Steve complete privacy – but he could try. No one needed their grief on display. “Deep breath for me, soldier. No fugue states in the field, Buffy will be very disappointed in me if I break you.”

Steve fought for control. It took him too long to find his air, to remember how his heart should beat in a world without Bucky Barnes. “Sorry.” When he could manage to speak, that was his first word. “I just – ”

CJ’s hand tightened on his shoulder, and Steve felt the young man’s thumb rubbing soothing circles. “It’s okay, Steve. I might not – I don’t do love like that,” he added softly, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand you miss him. There’s no shame in grief, sciath ceartaiseach. It just means you know how to love.”

Shocked, Steve met CJ’s eyes. “You… know? About… Bucky?”

“Misty’s my squad leader, and Phil’s my boss.” CJ shook his head a little, smiling. “My big sister, and my chief. They adore you, big guy – and Phil’s been a fan since he was a kid. Yeah, I know about your Sergeant Barnes – more of us do than you realize. But I won’t mention him again, if you need me not to.” He hadn’t missed the intense flash of pain in Steve’s eyes just at the name. “Just… you don’t have to hide your grief from me, okay? You’ve seen behind my masks. Nothing behind yours is going to make me run screaming.”

The idea that more people knew… “You’re not… disgusted?”

“By what? Your relationship? No.” CJ looked at him oddly. “The two most important people in my life are both bi, Steve – same sex relationships do not bug me. I don’t want one,” he added with a quick, self-deprecating smile, “but they don’t bug me any more than hetero ones do. Poly – um, relationships with more people, like the triad? Those take a bit more work for me to roll with, but that’s my own damage, not something wrong with it.” 

“Okay.” Steve closed his eyes again, breathing deeply. “Thanks, CJ.”

“Anytime, mon Capitan.”

~ * ~


	8. Chapter 8

“Legal wants to know if you want to set up a separate charity for the recovery efforts or if we’re filtering it through the Maria Stark Foundation—”

Tony sighed, stripping his tie off. “Pep. I don’t know how to say this without being an ass, but – I don’t care.”

Pepper frowned, following him into the elevator from the garage. “You’re right, you’re an ass.”

“It’s just – look, I don’t know which is a better tax strategy or PR move – I have no idea. This isn’t my area.” Tony unbuttoned his dress shirt, displaying the black tee shirt beneath it as he rubbed at his chest above the arc reactor. “JARVIS, where are we going?”

“The others are currently gathered in the kitchen, engaged in dinner preparations.”

“Oh, yeah.” Tony breathed out. “Yeah, that sounds good. Take us there, J.”

Pepper bit back a huff of frustration. “I’m going to go change.” Their bedroom was on the same floor as the kitchen, at least.

“Alright.” Before they reached the penthouse, Tony snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “You were magnificent today, Miss Potts. An Amazonian Goddess. And I mean the classical Amazons, not the Bezos kind.” He nuzzled her neck, placing a light kiss right beneath her ear.

She melted into the touch, and the praise. “You weren’t terrible yourself, Mister Stark.” Pepper turned her head to catch him in a kiss.

“We make a damned good team,” he murmured against her lips. “I love having you at my side.”

They parted ways stepping off the elevator – Pepper to change out of her business suit, and Tony to wander towards the gathering of people in his kitchen. It was strangely glorious, he decided – coming home to a room full of people that were all happy to see him. He’d only ever known that kind of welcome in AA meetings… and this was… different. 

Tony tossed his tie around a vase, uncaring of the cost of silk or glass. “How’s it hanging?” he asked Bruce, who was peeling potatoes at the counter. “I miss anything exciting?” His eyes trailed over the others – the pixie, science wrangler, and Misty were curled up on a couch that seemed to have been dragged into the eating area out of the lounge. Erik and Jane had their heads together over a notebook at the table, and a third cup of tea nearby suggested that Bruce was sitting with them between cooking spells.

“Nothing of note,” Bruce murmured.

“The blond squad is staying busy,” Misty added from the couch, unconcerned about interrupting. “They ran into a snag about… what, two hours ago?” She looked to Darcy for confirmation. The young woman nodded. “Thor joined Beta team then, got the situation resolved. No additional casualties.”

Tony raised an eyebrow at her phrasing. “But no survivors either?”

“No.” Misty met his eyes. Beta team had uncovered three bodies today; she had a feeling that Steve and CJ would be suffering for that. Thor might be too – she didn’t have as good a bead on his mental state. “They’re still looking. Heard noises about half an hour ago that could have been a survivor – I’m monitoring.”

“Okay.” Tony nodded once. “If the kid were older – and I were less reformed – I’d want to ply him with drink when he gets back. Spangles and Point Break too. Any suggestions other than that?”

Misty gave him a wan smile. “CJ likes orange soda, and we’re all suckers for hot cocoa and brownies. I don’t know about Steve yet – two weeks isn’t really long enough for me to pick up everything.”

“Mayhap I can bake?” Catriona suggested.

Bruce raised his eyebrow from the stove. “You can barely stand unaided.” The redhead huffed in frustration. “Tell you what – if you want to give me the recipe, I’ll whip something up. Nothing like homemade dessert to stave off heartache. And we’ll need ice cream,” he added, lifting an eyebrow to Tony.

“Do you know the recipe for Mama Diane’s brownies?” Misty murmured to Catriona. At the negative shake, Misty sighed. “Let me call her. If we’re going to do this, we might as well do it right.”

~ * ~

Happy Hogan had seen a lot of strange things since he’d signed on as Tony Stark’s employee. Hell, it had been interesting enough back before Afghanistan – before Iron Man – and had only gotten moreso.

Walking into the boss’s workshop and finding a mattress nest on the floor ranked up there in the top ten.

Finding it populated by one very tiny redheaded gal, a blonde woman, a skinny blond boy, and an absolute beefcake that looked a hell of a lot like old posters of Captain America bumped it to the top three.

Happy gestured for the bots to be silent and assumed that JARVIS would reinforce his command. That they were here without JARVIS putting up a fuss told Happy that Tony had approved their presence… but not why. As quietly as he knew how, Happy crept out of the workshop and got back on the elevator. 

CJ cracked his eyes open when the doors shut. “J?”

“That was Mister Happy Hogan, Sir’s chauffer and bodyguard. He is an authorized individual for all levels of Stark Tower,” JARVIS answered immediately. “He is no threat to you, CJ.”

Steve reached a comforting hand towards CJ, pausing just before contact to be sure it was alright. CJ nodded slightly, and Steve curled his hand around the young man’s shoulder. He’d have pulled him in closer, but the supersoldier had a sleeping Misty pillowed on one side of his chest and a sleeping Catriona on the other. “You’re okay, kiddo.” The hours they’d worked together today in the field and brief discussion of Steve’s loss had strengthened the bond between them. CJ had been predisposed to trusting the supersoldier anyway, given that Misty did. “Do you want to follow him?”

CJ looked at his sleeping squad leader and high priestess – sleeping big sisters, really. “No.” He tried to sort through what he was feeling and what he needed. “I think I need to stick here, with the cricket.”

“Alright.” Steve’s thumb swept in soothing circles on CJ’s shoulder. “We’ll keep watch together, then.”

Inside the elevator, Happy rocked impatiently on his heels. “Where’s the boss?” Happy demanded. He didn’t bother with pleasantries – not with the AI. Tony might treat his creations like people, but Happy never did.

“Sir is in the penthouse kitchen with his guests.”

More guests. Happy sighed. That was never a good sign. Happy thought Tony had gotten that phase of his life out of the way when he’d started dating Pepper – but he wouldn’t be surprised if what had happened the day before yesterday had broken something loose in Tony’s control. Happy had watched footage of the battle from his desk at Stark Industries’ LA office – seen Tony fly a missile into a hole in the sky and subsequently fall to the ground. It wouldn’t surprise Happy at all if that close of a near-death experience had shaken his boss badly enough for him to want the familiar oblivion of alcohol, narcotics, or sex… or a combination of all three. 

Happy took the elevator up to the penthouse, bracing himself for whatever situation he found there. It couldn’t be worse than the time he’d walked in on the boss with two Playboy models, a Playgirl model, and enough mood-altering substances to make Burning Man look like a PTA meeting.

He thought he was prepared. He was wrong.

The scent of baking chocolate greeted him as the elevator doors opened. Puzzled, Happy stepped off the elevator and followed his nose to the kitchen. There, he found Tony standing at the stove – what the hell, since when did Tony cook? – next to a rumpled man in a purple shirt and crisp white apron. A busty brunette in an oversized sweater and leggings was perched on a stool at the counter, breading chicken. As each piece was coated, she passed it to Tony who was frying it with an expertise that Happy had never seen him display. The three cooks were chattering animatedly together, but not in a way that Happy expected. There were no liquor bottles on the counter – no wine glasses or tumblers visible. No lines of coke, no needles, no scorched spoons – hell, he didn’t even smell pot in the air. It was possible that the giant coffee mug that Happy could see next to Tony was spiked, but… it didn’t look like it. Drunk Tony was, in his experience, extremely handsy. Tony wasn’t touching either the greying man or the brunette, at least not in any way that Happy recognized as sexual. While Happy watched, Tony did bump sideways into the man in purple, but it was more casual than sensual.

“Boss?” Happy asked, his voice cautious.

Tony looked up from his frying and grinned. “Happy! Come in!” Tony turned away from the stove, dusting his hands off on the white apron Bruce was wearing. Bruce batted him away, chuckling. “Pepper! Hap’s here.” Happy hadn’t noticed her, sitting at the counter – he’d been too distracted by the bizarre sight of Tony Stark frying chicken.

Pepper smiled. It was a relief to see a familiar face – someone else who could appreciate the bizarre turn her life had taken. “Happy, welcome to Stark Tower.”

“Avengers Tower,” Tony corrected absently. He was trying to hand over frying duty to Darcy, who was not having any of it. He felt more than heard Pepper’s shock and looked up. “Didn’t I tell you? I thought I told you. Totally renaming it – I mean, most of the name fell off anyway, but—”

Bruce bumped his shoulder into Tony’s. “Maybe introduce us to your friend?” He flicked his eyes from himself and Darcy to Happy.

“Happy Hogan, this is Doctor Bruce Banner and Darcy Lewis, scientist wrangler. Jolly green, Double D – this is my chauffeur slash bodyguard slash boxing instructor Happy.”

It was even odds which surprised Happy more – that Tony was taking chicken directly from Darcy’s hands, not making her set it on a plate on the counter first, or that Tony had been so easily redirected from an impending babble by a few words by this Doctor Banner fellow. Glancing at Pepper, he could see that he wasn’t alone in shock, but it looked like she’d become somewhat accustomed to it. “Pleasure to meet you both,” Happy said, nodding politely. “But this doesn’t explain why there are people asleep on the floor in the shop, boss.”

Tony’s eyebrows drew together. “You didn’t wake them, did you? The pixie needs her sleep, so does Buffy—”

“Neither Miss Summers nor Lady Catriona roused from slumber,” JARVIS interrupted. “Captain Rogers has the situation well in hand.”

“Oh. Good.” Tony relaxed. “The kid okay?”

There was a pause. “CJ was concerned but appears to have accepted my reassurance that Mister Hogan is an authorized party. He indicated a desire to maintain a vigil over Miss Summers rather than investigate personally.”

“He’s that protective of the cricket,” Tony murmured. “Let ‘em know Hap’s with me and all’s clear, yeah? Thanks J.” He shifted his attention back to Happy. “You’ve got the weirdest look on your face.”

Happy blinked at him. “Did he say Captain Rogers?”

“Yeah, he – oh. Right.” Tony rubbed at his forehead, leaving a smudge of chicken breading.

“Dude, wash your hands,” Darcy demanded, pointing imperiously at the sink. “If you’ve still got a headache, drink the damn tea Catriona left you, don’t go rubbing your salmonella infested hands on your face. Gross.”

Tony chuckled, moving to wash his hands as ordered. On his way back to the stove, he snagged the coffee mug and downed half its contents, making a face. “It’s not altogether bad,” he told Bruce meditatively. “I mean, for tea. It’s not coffee, but – well, it does help the headache.”

“She does seem to know what she’s doing,” Bruce said mildly. A smile flickered at the corner of his lips. “If you want to go fill your friend in, we’ll handle dinner from here – or recruit Thor.”

“He still brooding?” Tony asked quietly. “JARVIS?”

“Prince Thor remains on the roof, in approximately the same position as the last time you asked, Sir.”

Sighing, Tony started to rub his face again, but desisted at a sharp look from Darcy. “One of us needs to talk to him,” he said to Bruce and Darcy. He didn’t see Happy mouth the words ‘Prince Thor?!’ to Pepper.

Bruce shook his head. “Not yet. Give him some time.” He lowered his voice. “I doubt he’s been dumped before. As long as he eats with a decent appetite, I saw we just… let him grieve.”

Since that was much the same conclusion Tony had come to regarding Steve’s loss, Tony nodded. “J, you’ll let us know if…”

“I shall monitor the situation, Sir.”

“You’re the best, J.” Tony winked at one of the ceiling sensors before turning his attention back to Happy. “So, let me give you the rundown on our last forty-eight hours. Make that seventy-two… it started well before the big boss battle.” As Tony spoke – explaining to an increasingly flabbergasted Happy the events that had occurred after Loki’s appearance in a secret desert research facility – he continued to fry the chicken that Darcy was handing him. Finished chicken went onto large trays and were slipped into the oven to keep warm. Until today, Tony hadn’t appreciated having more than one oven… but this mean that one could be full of pans of brownies while the other kept fried chicken at just the right temperature.

Darcy hadn’t been present for the chaos – she’d been in Norway – and Bruce was not inclined to interrupt, so it was a lone narrative until Tony reached the present time. “And so now we’re feeding the masses,” Tony finished, handing Darcy another pan of chicken to slide into the oven. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of food this crew can put away.”

“Sorry,” Bruce murmured.

Tony bumped his shoulder against Bruce’s. “Cut it out. No self-deprecation allowed, or I’ll have to be humble too. The Earth would cease to rotate on its axis, Jolly Green – you don’t want to be responsible for that, do you?”

“You’re a menace.” Bruce’s eyes were twinkling. It was difficult for him to maintain his usual reserve around Tony, and he’d pretty much given up trying. For the first time in a very long time – certainly since the accident and possibly since childhood – Bruce was surrounded by people who took him as he was, every flawed bit of him. Tony never once flinched away and never responded in anger – and none of the others had, either. It led to the first true relaxation that Bruce could remember.

“I sure am,” Tony agreed easily. “Pep and Hap will agree with you whole-heartedly.” He raised an eyebrow at Pepper – she seemed to be having a mostly silent conversation with Happy that he didn’t really follow. That was alright. He knew they were good – they were here, safe and whole. That was what Tony needed. “J! Sound the call, supper’s ready. C’mon, let’s get the food to the table before the hordes descend.”

Happy was introduced to the rest of the cadre over fried chicken and several sides, and he pretended not to be completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the room. Oh sure – he was used to Tony entertaining, or attending large, catered events. This was markedly different.

Catriona slapped Tony’s hand without a qualm when he reached over her plate. Tony actually apologized before requesting she pass the green beans.

Tony actually accepted the green beans directly from her hands, with no indication of his usual reticence to be handed things.

When Misty’s expression turned queasy for a brief moment, it was Tony who asked if she needed to step away. The squad leader considered it but ultimately shook her head. “I’m okay. Think it was in my head more than anything… still not used to meals with my ducks.” She leaned around Steve to kiss Tony on the cheek, making the engineer’s eyes sparkle.

That baffled Happy. Not the kissing exactly – but the easy, open affection that they were showering Tony with… and that he was returning. Happy had never seen Tony be this free with anybody except Jim Rhodes, and from the significant looks Pepper was throwing him, she hadn’t either.

After eating far more than any group of people should be capable of consuming, the entire group migrated to the media room, one floor below the penthouse kitchen. Happy was surprised that everyone, including the relatively unsociable scientist pair, seemed content to curl up on the various sofas while Tony put on a movie. Or – a TV show, as it proved to be. Happy had no idea why the selection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer made the skinny blond kid chuckle – or the blonde woman from the workshop. 

Tony settled into one of the couches with Steve, encouraging both Catriona and Misty to join them. Misty exchanged a hand signal with CJ before agreeing and settling between the two men. Catriona curled up on Tony’s lap, her feet over Misty’s lap and extending to Steve’s. “You gotta teach me that, Buffy,” Tony said.

“Teach you what?” Misty asked, already distracted by the plot – though she’d seen this episode a dozen times.

“The hand signals.” CJ smiled a little, settling on the floor in front of the couch where Misty was. “They’re part SHIELD, part Scooby specific, Tony. Not a bad thing for you guys to learn – they’re useful in the field.”

“I recognize a few of them,” Steve murmured. He didn’t want to disturb the show – they might be at home, but it still felt like going to the movies. “Learned them from – ” he paused, sucked in a breath. “Peggy taught ‘em to me, after Rebirth.”

Tony shifted a little, freeing a hand to place on Steve’s forearm. “Aunt Pegs thinks the world of you, you know.”

Steve smiled a little. “Feeling’s mutual. Helluva dame.” He was silent a moment, watching the on-screen antics of the blonde character that really did look like Misty. “How are you… I mean… you call her your aunt…”

“Oh, she’s my godmother,” Tony said casually. His hand tightened on Steve’s arm. “Her and Howard stayed – friends. She was around a lot when I was growing up, we stayed in touch.” He glanced down at Catriona, who was already asleep again. He wondered how long it would be before she could stay awake more than a handful of hours at a time. “She’s the reason I could trust Agent.”

Misty – proving she wasn’t wholly engrossed in the show – turned to look at Tony. “You called Director Carter to pass judgement on Sensei?”

Shrugging, Tony stroked his left hand down Catriona’s hair, leaving the right resting on Steve. “After I met Agent – around the time I first announced Iron Man – he introduced himself as being with the Strategic Homeland blah blah blah and I tuned him out.” Misty hid a smile. “But right before the press conference as he was leaving, he said to Pepper – just call us SHIELD.” Tony looked down at Catriona again. “That’s when I changed my mind about the cover story, when I decided to go public. I knew what SHIELD was – how couldn’t I?” His eyes slid sideways and met Steve’s. “Howard, Aunt Pegs, and Colonel Phillips founded SHIELD – and I’ll give you three guesses as to why it got called that.”

“What—you think it was because of me?” Steve asked, flabbergasted. 

“You’re the one that called him an obsessed fan,” Tony reminded him quietly. “That didn’t go away when you died. Apparently died.” But they were edging into territory that Tony couldn’t handle. “So yeah, I called Aunt Pegs after the press conference. Agent got her stamp of approval, so I kept working with him.” He squeezed Steve’s forearm. “She’d like to see you, you know.”

“I know,” Steve whispered. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breath for several minutes. They’d moved out of risky territory for Tony, but into it for Steve. “I wrote her a letter. I’m just not ready – ”

His voice hadn’t raised above a whisper, but something in the tenor or tone had woken the druid. Catriona lifted her head off Tony’s chest and reached for Steve with little trace of sleep in her eyes. “Be at ease, sciath ceartaiseach,” she murmured. She slipped out of Tony’s lap and over Misty, settling herself against Steve and reaching up to draw his head into her own shoulder. “Hush now. Maggie Mae – Peggy understands your hesitance. She might well wish to see you, but not until you are ready.”

Steve buried his face in her copper curls, breathing in the scent of tea and warmth, hearing the familiar sounds of Irish Gaelic. He didn’t know what it was she’d called him, only that it was Gaelic – and he remembered CJ calling him that too, out in the field. It didn’t matter what it meant, really. He could tell from the way they spoke it that it was a term of affection, a nickname of some kind. Given how many names they all seemed to have for each other, that was comforting… it made him feel included. He registered too that she’d called Peggy by another name, and tucked that into a corner of his mind to consider later, when he was more stable.

“Sorry, Steve,” Tony murmured – and that was apparently too much of an interruption for Pepper. His eyes went wide as she rose and stalked out of the room. “We weren’t that loud, were we?” he whispered to Misty. To his surprise, Happy was following Pepper out of the media room. 

“I don’t think the volume is what upset her,” Misty replied, equally quietly. Her eyes were not the only ones to have noted the timing.

~ * ~

“Pepper.” Happy caught up to her in the elevator – unsurprised that the door held open long enough for him to slip in beside her. “Has he been like this since you got here?”

“Yes.” As soon as the doors closed, Pepper turned to face Happy, her expression no longer the mask of acceptance she’d worn around Tony. He could see now how drawn she was – how tired. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

Happy debated with himself before deciding she wouldn’t misinterpret the gesture and putting a comforting hand under her elbow. “How’d this happen? I mean, Tony’s not usually so… domestic.”

“He said he invited them after the battle, that they needed a place to stay.” Pepper slumped down from her perfect posture, her eyes closing. She opened them again when the elevator opened on the penthouse. Happy followed her towards the master bedroom, his hand still under her elbow. “The little redhead is the one Nat calls her sister – you’ve heard me talk about her?” Happy nodded but wasn’t about to interrupt Pepper if she needed to vent. “And the blondes work for Phil. Worked – I guess they all resigned. Phil too.” She sat down on the tan couch in the master bedroom – sank into it like a marionette with her strings cut. “He and Nat and Clint are off somewhere,” she waved her hand vaguely, dismissing all of the Midwest with a single gesture, “but apparently everyone is coming here?” She looked up at Happy, who was standing awkwardly next to the couch. “How do we keep him from flying apart, Happy? All this… this…” Her hands worked wildly in the air. “This facade he’s putting up is going to crush him.”

Privately, Happy wasn’t certain was a facade. He’d known Tony Stark a long time – longer than Pepper, though not as long as Rhodey. Public-Tony had a limited run before cracks would show – but the Tony he’d seen this evening wasn’t Public-Tony. It wasn’t Pepper-Tony, though… and until that moment, Happy hadn’t realized that Private-Tony and Pepper-Tony weren’t the same. The man he trained in the boxing ring, the one he changed the limo’s oil with – that was Private-Tony. When no one was watching him, or when it was just Happy and Rhodey… yeah, Happy knew this version of Tony.

But he could also see now that Pepper hadn’t spent enough time with Private-Tony to recognize him, if she’d met him at all. Happy wondered if she had. Surely she’d been around when it was just Tony and Rhodey? Seen the easy sprawl of their friend over Jim Rhodes’ chest while they watched Top Gear? Sure, Happy had only ever seen this level of relaxation, of casual physical intimacy, with Rhodey, but… that didn’t make it wrong or fake.

“Is he going to meetings?” Happy asked after a moment.

Pepper waved her hands again. “I don’t know. Captain Rogers mentioned one, the first night I was here. I guess. I’m more concerned with what’s happening in our – in the Tower.”

Ah. This wasn’t PA-Pepper speaking, then – or CEO-Pepper. This was girlfriend-Pepper. That… made more sense – but also meant Happy had fewer answers. “Have you tried to contact Colonel Rhodes?” The three pillars of supporting Tony Stark, as far as Happy was concerned, were Pepper, Rhodey and Happy himself. If she were unsure of how to help and so was he, they needed Rhodey.

“Not in range,” Pepper sighed. “I’ve been trying – I think JARVIS has too.” She looked up at him. “What do we do, Hap?”

“I guess we keep our eyes on them,” Happy said after another moment. Pepper was used to those delays – Happy liked to be sure of what he was saying before he spoke. It was a welcome change from Tony’s tendency to speak without thinking. “If they’re going to take advantage of him…”

“Of course they are,” Pepper scoffed. “People always do.”

~ * ~

Tony left the Tower for an AA meeting after the next Buffy episode finished. That seemed to be the cue for the rest of the company to disperse. Erik and Jane retired to one room. Darcy followed Thor into another bedroom, though Bruce didn’t get the impression it was for anything more than companionship. The self-proclaimed scientist wrangler seemed to be taking her role as the demigod’s ‘lightning sister’ rather seriously – more seriously than she appeared to take most things in life.

Misty excused herself to call Maria, flashing another one of those hand signs to CJ as she left. Bruce was as intrigued by them as Tony had been, though for different reasons. It seemed – to him, at least – that Tony resented there being any communication going on in his vicinity that he couldn’t participate in. Steve seemed to want to learn for tactical reasons. Bruce was just… interested. He’d never met a fact he didn’t want to know – never seen a question he wasn’t curious to hear the answer to. It was partly responsible for the number of degrees to his name – some of which were awarded for what he considered genuine hard research and a few that were a result of his publications in other disciplines. His MD, earned under an assumed name at a university in Calcutta, was perhaps the one he valued the most, though – that was his way of attempting to balance the harm he’d done to people as the other guy.

He was pondering the sheer volume of knowledge that Catriona must have accumulated as he changed into sweat pants and a tee he’d designated as sleep wear and brushed his teeth. When he wandered into the workshop, it was nearly empty. Catriona and Steve were already curled up on the mattress like a pair of puppies. Bruce wasn’t surprised. The druid was still exhausted… and Steve had apparently had or come close to having what Bruce would consider an anxiety attack earlier this evening, talking about Director Carter. (Bruce had been sitting a couch away from the exchange, but his Hulk-augmented hearing picked it up clearly.) 

What did surprise him was how he found the final human in the room. CJ was huddled in the smallest shape he could make himself in the corner of the futon, trembling violently. Bruce approached slowly, the young man’s eyes fixing on him immediately. “What can I do to help?” Bruce asked, keeping his voice low. He didn’t want to wake Steve or Catriona.

CJ shuddered. “Be Phil?” he asked weakly. “I don’t know. I need… something…”

“May I sit down?” Bruce asked. At CJ’s jerky nod, Bruce sat on the edge of the futon – close to CJ, but not touching him. He watched the sniper’s reactions carefully. They weren’t what he expected – not the immediate recoil from his presence. Instead, the young man shifted, almost hiding behind Bruce’s larger frame. Ah – that made sense. Believing he understood now, Bruce modified his posture. With a few subtle muscle movements, he broadened his shoulders and straightened his posture, purposely drawing attention to the physicality he kept hidden beneath rumpled clothes. He leaned into the futon, creating a sheltered space between himself and the back of the futon that would allow CJ to feel protected without having to touch him.

It was a good plan – almost perfect. He was nearly ready to congratulate himself when he felt CJ suck in a breath close to a sob. Bruce froze in place, not sure what the young man needed. CJ reached for Bruce’s hand and laid it on the back of his neck before looking up at the scientist, his chin trembling.

Harder hearts than Bruce’s would have been swayed by that expression. Bruce began to hum softly, then to sing – a lullaby in Hindi that he’d found comforted the children on his pediatric rotation. The meaning didn’t matter – the tone did. He shifted until he could press his thumb against CJ’s pulse, monitoring the rapidity as he calmed. With that hand, he very gently tugged CJ forward until the young man could rest his forehead against Bruce’s chest. They were only touching in those two places – Bruce’s hand on his neck, and CJ’s forehead on his pec.

He wasn’t sure how long CJ trembled against him, though it felt vast. The tremors eased gradually, until the young man was just resting against him. CJ took a deep, unhurried breath before pulling back, looking up at Bruce. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Bruce started to ease back, but CJ made a noise of protest low in his chest and the scientist froze again. He didn’t want to crowd the young man, but space didn’t seem to be what he needed right now. Instead, Bruce tightened the fingers on the back of CJ’s neck, noting the instant relaxation it produced. In the back of his mind, he heard Hulk rumble two words – our cub. Bruce tried to convey his agreement but wasn’t sure it got through. Moving slowly so that he didn’t startle the lad, Bruce shifted closer until he could tug CJ into the crook of his arm, encouraging the young man to burrow against his side.

CJ let out a sigh of such intense contentment that any hesitation Bruce had fluttered away on the end of his exhale. “You’re as good at this as sensei is, staideartha cior thuathail.” He yawned, pressing his face against Bruce.

“Do you want me to stay here?” Bruce asked, smiling down at the sleepy sniper. He found himself stroking the blond hair back from CJ’s eyes.

“Mmmhmm.” CJ yawned again and curled tighter against the gamma scientist.

Misty walked in and did a nearly comical double-take at the sight of CJ tucked against Bruce. Her steps paused on the way to the mattress but resumed almost immediately. “Okay there, little brother?” She stepped up to the futon and leaned in to kiss CJ’s forehead.

“Mmmhmm,” he repeated. One eye opened – they’d slid shut, he found. “Ria good?”

If she hadn’t known there was no booze in the Tower, Misty might have thought CJ was drunk. She flashed her gaze up to Bruce’s face with inquiry in her eyes, but the scientist merely shrugged the opposite shoulder. “Ducks is good,” Misty assured CJ. She reached forward to stroke his hair too. “Angie was with her – they finished packing up Maria’s old apartment and were going to go crash at the dojo.” She smiled a little. “Apparently ducks didn’t want to stay in ours alone.” CJ yawned again and Misty laughed. “Alright, then.” She bent and kissed his forehead again. “Sleep well, kiddo.” She straightened up and gave Bruce a look that he easily translated – he was in for a discussion in the morning.

For now, Bruce pushed that aside. He didn’t know why the young man trusted him, or was able to accept his comfort. He couldn’t deny being surprised and flattered by that – but also, in a strange way, it felt familiar. Natural. He pushed that aside also, kicking his feet up onto the mattress next to Steve so that he was reclining more than sitting, and let himself follow CJ into sleep.

Misty was still awake when Tony came home. She was curled up against Steve’s broad back, reading from a tablet. “You didn’t have to wait up,” Tony whispered as he kicked off his shoes. He stepped over to the bots to pat each of them, whispering at them to remain quiet. 

“Had to do some thinking,” Misty answered, her eyes flicking to CJ and Bruce on the futon.

Tony’s eyebrows drew together as he slid onto the mattress next to her. No sooner was he settled than he found Misty creeping in. “C’mon, I don’t bite. Steve too shaky still to give you proper cuddles?” He curled his arm around her, tucking the blonde head beneath his chin.

“I think they were all more affected by the day in the field than they let on,” Misty whispered. She nestled against him, watching his expression in the muted glow of the arc reactor. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she had been too. He certainly didn’t object to being the one she sought comfort from – but it did surprise him a little. Still, while Tony would never be accused of being the most tactful person on the planet, he did know better than to mention it. He let his eyes flash to Bruce and CJ. “It’s good to see the kid relax.” He’d like it even better if Misty was relaxed too, but maybe he could get her there. He started running his hand up and down her back the way Rhodey did to him when they watched movies – a steady stroke that always made him feel sleepy and warm.

“Yeah,” Misty agreed – but she didn’t sound convinced.

Tony’s eyebrows shot up, and he was glad she wasn’t look at him. He looked up at Bruce and CJ again, looking for any sign that there was anything concerning between them but – nope. It looked for all the world like Bruce had a golden retriever puppy curled up against him. “Where’s the beef, Buffy?”

“I just…” Misty began, trailing off. “I just worry about him. I haven’t seen him that relaxed around many people, especially not… um. Older men.”

“He does fine with Spangles and Point Break,” Tony protested mildly, “and they’re older than Methuselah.” She elbowed him, and he chuckled. “He does fine with me too – but I can understand him relaxing with Jolly Green. He’s so mild-mannered that it’s easy to forget that he has as much power inside as Thor.” Tony continued to stroke down Misty’s back, hoping to soothe her. “I think that’s what the kid sees in him – and in Agent. In you. People that make him feel safe, make him feel cared for.” Tony’s hand stilled briefly before he continued. “I don’t pretend to understand why, but – we do. Care for him,” Tony added, in case that wasn’t clear. “Him and you and the pixie – and the cricket.” That was said much softer. “I want you to feel safe here too.”

“I do.” Misty rubbed her cheek against Tony’s chest. “We do.” She was silent for a time, long enough that Tony wondered if she’d fallen asleep. “You remind me of my dad. In a good way. Not the same way Sensei does – it’s… you’re more… when I was a kid and Dad played games with me and my friends outside, or took me to a movie. You’re… you remind me of the fun stuff. Not that Sensei isn’t fun, just…”

“I get it,” Tony murmured. “Agent reminds you of the hugs and goodnight kisses and teeth brushing and homework help… and I’m the other stuff.” She nodded against him. “He kind of reminds me of that, too – only that wasn’t my father that did that stuff, it was Jarvis. Real person Jarvis,” he added, not wanting her to confuse it for the AI. “He was our butler. Howard might have been my father, but Jarvis was my dad.” He smiled a little. “Aunt Peggy was the fun stuff for me. I don’t mind reminding you of that, sweet pea.”

She didn’t remember hearing Tony use such an endearment – but she didn’t mind it. At all. “Thanks, athair.” She yawned and fell silent again, and this time it was the true quiet of slumber. As he drifted off, Tony wondered what it meant – debated asking JARVIS – but decided he’d let it go for now. The soft almost-catch when she’d said the word told him it was something precious to her – he’d wait until she was ready to tell him.

~ * ~

He’d probably been more tired at some point in his life, but for the life of him James Rhodes couldn’t remember when. He’d come straight to the Tower after debriefing – flown here from DC after having met with the Secretary of Defense and a silent asshole in a black leather trenchcoat and eye patch that nobody had bothered to introduce. Rhodey knew not to ask – besides, he recognized him from Tony’s description. He’d had no idea why his mission was of interest to SHIELD Director Nick Fury, though.

Rhodey had put some thought into that on the flight to New York. He knew the mission he’d just finished had been started by another agency, and could guess based on timing that it had been SHIELD. It had been an utter shit show. He’d arrived in Russia to discover that his best hope of getting answers was dead in a warehouse on the outskirts of town – had been found there, surrounded by the bodies of his henchmen, with no indication of who had killed him aside from the marks left on the bodies. Frankly, Rhodey doubted he’d been given unredacted autopsy reports there. The coroner had suggested that a single person had taken out ever individual without the use of a weapon aside from a shattered chair they found on site. There were damned few people that could pull off that kind of lethality bare-handed – and while Rhodey didn’t doubt that SHIELD employed a couple, he couldn’t figure out why a hand-to-hand specialist would have been on this mission, much less gone rogue enough to murder the possible informants.

The nature of the mission had meant he’d been incommunicado for days. It hadn’t been until yesterday that he’d reached communications again – stepped into the War Machine armor (he hated thinking of it as the Iron Patriot) and heard JARVIS’s voice informing him that despite whatever he’d hear or see, Tony was fine.

Never a good first sentence to hear from the AI. Once he laid eyes on the footage of Tony flying a nuke into an alien portal, though… yeah, he was glad that JARVIS had led with it.

On the flight back to the US and then again on the flight from DC to New York, JARVIS had answered as many questions as Rhodey could ask and that the AI had answers to. Tony was safe. He’d been injured, but healed. JARVIS was vague about the details there, stating it would be better for Tony to explain. Tony was going to be staying at the new Tower for the foreseeable future, and had renamed it Avengers Tower.

That sent Rhodey down a whole new spate of questions. He learned about the band of six fighters that had been dubbed ‘the Avengers’ by SHIELD and then the media – and how the hell did the media get that information? It had to have come from SHIELD – and that they and all of Agent Coulson’s people were expected to converge upon the Tower in the next two weeks.

So like Tony to immediately offer to house his new teammates and their support staff, Rhodey thought with fond amusement. He’d bet dollars to donuts that the man had also already offered to remodel to better suit their needs and buy them all new equipment.

Rhodey landed on the disassembling pad at the Tower and let the machinery strip off the War Machine armor. He headed downstairs per JARVIS’s quiet direction, curious as to why Tony was sleeping in the workshop and not in the penthouse with Pepper. Maybe they’d fought over Tony’s heroics – it wouldn’t be the first time. Or the last, more than likely.

He stepped off the elevator and a smile bloomed as he caught sight of his best friend asleep on a mattress on the floor. He recognized Banner and Rogers from the briefing JARVIS had given him – figured the two ladies and skinny kid were Coulson’s people. Tony was asleep on his side, spooned up behind a blonde gal. There was enough space behind him – barely – so Rhodey kicked off his shoes and slipped under the blanket behind Tony.

“Hmm?” Tony turned towards him.

“Just me, martini,” Rhodey whispered. “Go back to sleep. We can talk in the morning.”

Tony fumbled a hand free of the blonde to reach back, catching Rhodey’s hand. “Honeybear,” he murmured. “Damn, it’s good to see you.” 

Rhodey chuckled, obligingly wrapping his arm around Tony’s waist. It wasn’t the first time they’d cuddled – Tony was tactile as hell, and Rhodey never minded. It was the first time since college that they’d done it around other people, but if Tony trusted these people enough to be asleep in his workshop with the bots, Rhodey figured a little physical affection was fair game. Besides – he needed to feel Tony’s heartbeat under his hand. Even with JARVIS’s assurances, watching the video of Tony falling from the sky had scared Rhodey shitless. Seeing him safe and sleepy, curled up with his friends – that was balm for his soul. “Tomorrow, Tones.” Rhodey rubbed his cheek against the back of Tony’s neck exactly as he had when Tony was a terrified freshman at MIT. “You can introduce me to your new friends then.”

Warmth and intense gratitude flooded Tony, making him have to swallow hard. No words of recrimination from Rhodey – no demands for explanation. Just the same unconditional acceptance that Rhodey had always offered him. Tony’s hand tightened on Rhodey’s as his friend settled behind him, his breathing already settling into the slower rhythm of sleep. Whatever mission Rhodey had been on had obviously been draining. Tony resolved to do something special for his friend tomorrow… maybe make something else out of Mama Rhodes’ cookbook. He’d already made her fried chicken this week – maybe her pot roast. Or meat loaf… Rhodey loved meat loaf. “Sleep well, platypus.” He paused, then decided the midnight confession rule qualified here. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” Rhodey said immediately. They rarely said the words – Tony must have been worried as hell to say them now. Rhodey smiled against Tony’s shoulderblade. It was easy to be distracted by all the glitz and glam of his Starkness – but Tony was still just Tony at times like this. It was good to be reminded of.

Tony waited until Rhodey’s breathing changed to that of true sleep before he let himself fall asleep again. A not insignificant part of his soul was rejoicing – his Rhodey was here, and safe. Unharmed from what he could tell – tired, but not with the pinched tone of an injury. That meant that the people he loved most in the world were now all safe. Tomorrow they’d call Mama Rhodes together – they almost always did, when Rhodey came home – and then Tony would get to introduce his oldest friend to his newest ones. It never occurred to him that they might not all get along… in his heart of hearts, Tony couldn’t comprehend anyone not adoring Rhodey the way he did. His honeybear was everything a friend was supposed to be – the best friend Tony had ever had and could ever imagine having. Of course they’d love him. He drifted off while planning the breakfast menu, wondering if JARVIS would think to place an order for bagels and lox without him prompting, or if the AI would need to be reminded of Rhodey’s favorite New York breakfast.

(JARVIS did, in fact, remember.)

~ * ~


	9. Chapter 9

It was a rumbling beneath his hand that woke Rhodey. He could dismiss the noise – too many years of barracks living for him to worry about noise – but that rumble under his hand wasn’t something he’d ignore, not when he was in bed with Tony. It might be important – God knew he’d woken up to the man crying often enough.

It wasn’t tears this time – or if there were any tears, they were the result of laughter. Before he’d registered what they were saying, Rhodey was grinning against Tony’s shoulderblade. Tony was laughing – really laughing, that full-bodied sound that Rhodey hadn’t heard in a decade or more, and it was glorious. Goddamn, he’d missed that. “Morning, sting ray,” Rhodey mumbled against Tony.

The rumble cut off abruptly, and Tony twisted until he could face Rhodey. “Hey, honeybear. We didn’t mean to wake you. You’re exhausted – go back to sleep.”

“Nah, I should be up or I’ll fuck my sleep schedule for a week,” Rhodey yawned. He leaned forward, because in twisting Tony had pulled a little away. Now Rhodey had his forehead pressed against Tony’s upper arm. “You gonna introduce me to your friends?”

“Can you keep your eyes open long enough to meet them?” Tony retorted. He ran a fond hand over Rhodey’s short, dark hair.

“Sure.” Another jaw-popping yawn, and Rhodey sat up. He didn’t like that – that was too far away. He scooted closer to Tony, debating just pulling the engineer into his lap… but he didn’t know these people. “Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, United States Air Force, at your service.”

Steve snorted. “We knew that much – Tony couldn’t stop talking about you.” He set aside his tablet and held out a hand. “Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you.”

“Captain Steven Grant Rogers,” Tony added, when it was obvious Steve wasn’t going to say anything else. “Platypus, it’s Captain America. In the flesh.”

Rhodey shook Steve’s hand, quirking a smile at Tony. “You tell him about that bedroom set with his shield plastered all over it that you brought to MIT?”

“You promised not to tell!” Tony squawked, and Steve chuckled.

“He hadn’t mentioned it – but I can’t say I’m surprised. Or,” he added with a more serious tone, “am I bothered by that, Tony. I bet your Aunt bought it for you, yeah?”

Rhodey blinked. That was – insightful. Yeah, Peggy Carter had bought the bed set for Tony… because Howard had refused to provide anything beyond the bare essentials, insisting that Tony work for every ‘luxury.’ But how had…

“Got it in one,” Tony agreed with a small smile. He leaned over and squeezed Steve’s shoulder, and Rhodey had to readjust his thinking again. “This is Doctor Bruce Banner,” Tony continued, his hand shifting to Bruce’s ankle. “His brain is beautiful, honeybear – almost as amazing as yours. And his Otherself plucked me out of the air and kept me from splatting all over the road, so there’s that.”

“Thank you,” Rhodey said, holding out his hand to the Hulk’s alter ego. “I’m kind of fond of the idiot – I’d rather not scrape him off the asphalt.”

Bruce shook Rhodey’s hand, but ducked away from the gratitude. “It was nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” CJ shot back, poking Bruce in the side. He was still curled into a tight ball next to the gamma scientist, with his head propped up on Bruce’s thigh. Bruce had one hand on the back of CJ’s neck, and had been holding a tablet with the other. He’d set it aside to shake Rhodey’s hand. “Hi. I’m CJ. I’m one of Agent Coulson’s people,” he added, figuring that name at least would be familiar to Tony’s best friend.

“Oh!” Rhodey’s confusion cleared – though he was still a little concerned. The kid looked like he wasn’t even old enough to drive, much less to be an operative… but then, he knew plenty of baby-faced ensigns and privates. “Is Agent Coulson here?”

“He’s in Iowa with his husband and wife,” CJ answered, nestling back into Bruce. “Enforced leave per the pixie. Um. High Priestess.” His eyes flicked down to Catriona.

“The pixie would be the redhead,” Tony added for Rhodey’s benefit, pointing at Catriona. “She’s going to take a longer explanation – and as soon as I say her name she’ll wake up, I’d rather let her sleep. The blonde’s Misty Summers, also one of Agent’s people. His protege – one hell of a handler.”

Rhodey looked over both sleeping women with a careful eye. The redhead – he wasn’t going to call her a pixie – was tiny, a delicate little doll of a woman. In sleep she’d draped herself over Rogers – Steve – with her face pressed into his neck. This didn’t seem to bother the blond man at all… he kept running a hand over her hair, eliciting a sleepy hum of contentment. The blonde woman – Summers – was less at ease, her face twitching in a manner Rhodey associated with a nightmare. As she twitched, Tony eased his hand down onto her rounded abdomen and stroked lightly with his thumb. The twitching eased off, and she seemed to rest easier. Rhodey raised an eyebrow at Tony.

“Yes, she is,” Tony answered the unasked question. “Not by choice. She and her girlfriend – Agent Maria Hill – are going to raise the cricket… the baby… together.”

Another blink. He’d heard of Maria Hill. He expected most of the upper echelons of the various branches of the military had. “Well, I’ll be damned.” He looked at Misty again, this time with a bit of awe. “Her girlfriend’s legendary, martini. Held the PT obstacle course record at FOB Farah in Afghanistan three years running.” He blew out a breath. “Didn’t realize she’d jumped from jarhead to SHIELD.”

“Got booted for DADT,” CJ murmured. “Good thing for us – she’s a senior agent at SHIELD, and a damned good one.” He smiled a little at Rhodey. “Me and Misty – and six others, as well as the triad – we were all SHIELD. My whole squad resigned with the triad after – ” he swallowed hard.

“I’ll tell him later,” Tony said quietly, reaching up to touch CJ with one careful finger. “It’s okay, kid. You don’t have to talk about it.”

“Thanks,” CJ managed to say, before pressing his face against Bruce’s thigh. Bruce ran his hand down CJ’s back, humming something.

Rhodey scrubbed at his face. “Your new friends come with a lot of baggage,” he murmured to Tony.

“Yep.” Tony was utterly unbothered by that. “So do I.”

That made him laugh, and he slid his arm around Tony’s waist. “Yes you do.” He hooked his chin over Tony’s shoulder to look down at his StarkTablet. “What are we building today?”

“Tower remodel and upgrade,” Tony answered absently, already absorbed in it again. “Need to put in a reinforced gym for Capsicle… and a shooting range for the kid and birdbrain… oh, and move the residential floors closer to the ground for the pixie…”

“Is that why we’re in the shop?” Rhodey looked around, noting that the bots had been moved here from Malibu. Looked like Tony was settling in here for awhile, then.

“Yep.” Tony adjusted the dimensions on the communal kitchen. “You think we’ll need more than two ovens, Brucie?” He glanced at the gamma scientist, who peered over the edge of his own tablet to hum thoughtfully.

CJ nudged at Bruce’s thigh with his nose, then extended his foot towards Tony. The engineer looped his fingers around the slim ankle, smiling a little when it made the sharpshooter relax further. “Chief and Nascha both like to bake,” he murmured sleepily. “And you haven’t lived until you’ve had Phil’s cooking.”

Tony laughed, low in his chest, and Rhodey couldn’t help but grin against him. “Duly noted,” Tony said, and added a third oven.

Rhodey wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation – the words weren’t what had his attention. Instead, it was the easy relaxation in Tony, the casual way he reached out to touch these people. All of them. Rhodey’d gotten so used to the artificial distance that Tony put between himself and others that to see it gone was heady. Even better was that they were reaching to him too – that the kid reached out to Tony, trusting that he’d get what he needed. That the blonde gal turned, even in sleep, towards Tony’s touch and was comforted by it. It was fucking amazing – for twenty-five years, Rhodey had watched Tony crave this kind of touch and only find it from Rhodey himself… and now he was surrounded by it. 

Fucking amazing.

“You okay there, honeybear?” Tony asked, nudging Rhodey with his elbow. “You’re squeezing.”

“Sorry.” Rhodey relaxed his grip on Tony, though he didn’t let go.

Brown eyes met his, one eyebrow raised interrogatively. “Didn’t say it was a bad thing, platypus. Just – you don’t normally.”

That was fair – and it had been a long time since he’d held Tony this tight for this long around anybody except maybe Happy… not since finding him in a desert. Rhodey’s arms tightened again and this time he didn’t bother fighting it. “Just glad you’re in one piece.” 

“Me too,” Tony murmured. He glanced up at Bruce, a small flicker of appreciation in his eyes – then caught sight of Steve. The supersoldier’s shoulders were hunched forward and the hand he had in Catriona’s hair was tight with tension. Tony abandoned the tablet to reach over both Misty and Catriona and rest his hand on Steve’s forearm. “How about you, Spangles?”

Steve blew out a long breath and closed his eyes. “Sorry.”

Rhodey’s eyebrows drew together and he started to object – started to defend… Tony, or the way they were touching, or – something – but Tony silenced him with one quick shake of his head. “You need something, Steve?”

It was so rare for Tony to use an actual name that Rhodey had to step on his own reaction – surprised enough that he almost missed the supersoldier blowing out a long breath that sounded like there was a sob on the end. “Yeah, I do,” he whispered. “But nothing you can do about it. Sorry. Just. Rough morning.”

Bruce stretched his feet out until they were propped against Steve’s back. “Flashbacks?”

“No.” Steve stroked Catriona’s hair softly.

“Nightmares?” Tony prompted. “J didn’t have to wake you up, did he?”

“No.”

CJ reached out and poked Steve, leaving the pad of his finger resting on the broad shoulder. “C’mon, spill, or I’ll wake up Buffy and make her nag you into telling.”

Misty yawned and reached over Catriona to slip her fingers into Steve’s. “I’m awake. What’s going on, sciath ceartaiseach?”

Steve opened his mouth, not sure what he was going to say – but was forestalled by Catriona laying one finger across his lips. “You need not speak of it,” the druid murmured, her voice steady as though she hadn’t been sound asleep a moment before. “It was not a bad dream, methinks – it was the other.” She sat up, scooting closer to slide her arms around him. “It was the other – dreams in which everyone is alive and happy, aye?” Steve nodded once before just – shattering.

“C’mon,” Tony said, rising from the mattress and holding out his hand for Rhodey and Bruce. “Let’s… give him some privacy.” He glanced at Steve, huddled against Catriona. “You gonna stay with him, Sparkle?”

Catriona stroked her hand over Steve’s broad shoulders, cradling his head against her neck. “I have him, ceannroadai deantoir. Laoch beag? Do you wish to stay?”

Misty pressed a quick kiss to the side of Steve’s head before smiling, a little sadly. “No. I’ll head up with the others.” She kissed Catriona’s forehead as well. “Have J call us if you need us, yeah?”

The five of them filed into the elevator, and Rhodey’s last glimpse of his childhood hero was of him clinging to the tiny redhead, sobbing.

~ * ~

“JARVIS, keep an eye on them for me, would you?” Tony said as soon as the doors closed.

“Certainly, Sir.”

Tony scrubbed his face with his hands. “Okay. Breakfast.”

“Just like that?” Rhodey blinked, staring at Tony. “You’re just – you’re not gonna pry?”

“I know why he’s grieving, honeybear,” Tony said softly. “He’s lost everyone – including his Pepper and Rhodey. I’d be a fucking wreck too.”

Bruce cleared his throat. “I don’t know that I’d phrase it quite that way to Steve.”

Misty tugged CJ into her side, yawning. “He wouldn’t mind. Better than – better than using the names for the people he’s lost. He gets… it’s still fresh for him.” It might have been longer since he lost his sergeant than since he went into the ice, but it hadn’t been much time since then either, subjectively.

“Sixty-four sunrises,” Tony murmured. He caught Misty’s startled look and shrugged one shoulder, almost dislodging Rhodey’s arm from around them. “Something he mentioned our first night here. How many sunrises he’d been without… well, he didn’t specify what or who, but I could make some inferences.”

CJ and Misty traded glances. It didn’t surprise Misty that Steve had confided in Tony… but she wasn’t going to speak of his losses further without his permission. “The pixie will take care of him,” Misty said after a moment. “If anybody understands grief…”

“Could I maybe get a better name for her than ‘pixie’?” Rhodey asked.

Misty chuckled. “Lady Catriona O’Clare, the White Druid.”

Rhodey raised an eyebrow and twisted his head to look at Tony. “Am I supposed to be awed by that?”

Tony shrugged. “I didn’t recognize the title either – but the important thing is, she’s like two thousand years old and she saved Agent from bleeding out on the helicarrier.”

“Huh.” Rhodey rubbed his chin. “Sting ray, you keep interesting company.”

Tony was still laughing about that when the elevator doors opened onto the penthouse. Pepper was sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of yoghurt and a cup of coffee. Tony brightened, crossing to kiss her. “Good morning, Miss Potts.”

“Hi, Tony.” Pepper returned his kiss – but Rhodey thought there was something stilted about it. When she caught sight of him, her eyes brightened. “Jim. It’s good to see you.”

“Morning, Pepper.” Rhodey started to sit down next to her, only to find himself with an armful of Tony again. “Breakfast, Martini. You need food.”

“You want waffles?” Bruce asked Tony. “Pancakes? What are you in the mood for?”

Yawning, Darcy padded into the room in a pair of fluffy pajamas and a pair of Cookie Monster slippers. “I vote for pancakes. Banana chocolate chip pancakes.”

Misty laughed. “I thought I was the one who was supposed to have weird cravings.” She swooped in to kiss Darcy’s cheek before turning to look in the fridge. “I’m making omelettes. Little brother? Omelette?”

“Yeah.” CJ dug out a cutting board and knives, taking the vegetables she handed him and starting to wash and chop them. “Tones?”

“Damn, in a choice between a Buffy omelette and a Brucie waffle…” Tony laughed. “Can I have some of each?”

Pepper blinked a few times and looked over at Rhodey, expecting to find sympathy in his eyes – expecting him to look confused or horrified or puzzled… any of the myriad of emotions that Pepper herself was experiencing. She didn’t expect the open fondness on his face, or to see him squeeze Tony around the shoulders. “I’ll have whatever he’s having,” Rhodey called. “Since he’ll just eat it off my plate anyway.”

“If I may, Colonel Rhodes,” JARVIS interrupted. “There are bagels, lox, and several varieties of cream cheese spread coming up in the elevator. I took the liberty of having your usual order from The Bagel Hole delivered.”

Rhodey’s grin – which hadn’t dimmed since entering the kitchen – broadened. “JARVIS, you are a miracle.”

“That he is,” Bruce agreed with a smile. “You want a smoothie too, Tin Man?”

Tony debated. “Make one – and then we can trick the pixie into drinking it.”

“Clever,” Misty complimented, grinning. Erik and Jane entered soon after, a quiet Thor behind them. More breakfast orders were requested and the morning cooking staff bustled about. Bruce set aside a triple serving for Steve and a significant portion for Catriona. 

Pepper watched in helpless confusion as Rhodey leaned back in his chair with his arm around Tony, laughing and joking with the mass of interlopers invading their breakfast. The elevator opened to reveal the tiny druid and Steve, whose arms were full of bags from Rhodey’s favorite bagel shop. 

“Eolas coimedai requested we bring these from the lobby,” Catriona said, gesturing towards the bag. “He indicated they were for you, Colonel Rhodes…?”

Rhodey leapt up to help unload the bags from Steve’s arms, letting out an almost pornographic noise at the smell. “JARVIS, you’re the best,” he complimented again. 

By general consensus, no one mentioned Steve’s red, puffy eyes – and a part of Tony wondered just how hard the supersoldier had to have been crying, for it to show signs on his serum-enhanced face. Misty retrieved the plate set aside for Steve, shoved it in his hands, and tugged him to a chair. She solved the problem of how to get him to stay there by settling on his lap – and the problem of feeding him by popping a piece of bacon directly into his mouth as she continued to chatter to Darcy. Steve slipped an arm around her waist and used the other to eat, though not with the ravenous singlemindedness he sometimes displayed at the table.

“So. Plans today?” Tony asked, when he’d gotten a third cup of coffee down and devoured a waffle, half an omelette, and what amounted to half a bagel, snatched from Rhodey’s plate in tiny bites.

“More portal data for us,” Erik said, gesturing to Jane. “We’re making good progress.”

“That means I’m on science wrangling,” Darcy said cheerfully, sopping up maple syrup with her pancakes. “And probably dinner, unless someone else wants to cook.”

CJ looked from Misty to the still somewhat subdued Steve. He didn’t really think the Captain should be out in the field yet – not in this state of mind. He flickered his eyes to Misty to suggest that, but was forestalled by Rhodey.

“I could use a supersoldier here,” Rhodey said, pouring more coffee into his mug. “I want to move the nest up or down one floor, so that Tones can have his workshop back.”

“What—” Tony began, staring at Rhodey. “I don’t need—”

“You need shop time,” Rhodey said, with a gentleness he reserved for Tony alone. “I know you’ve got repairs to make on your suit, and mine could use some too – and you’re holding back because you don’t want to do it in the same room where your family’s sleeping. It’s okay, candyman.” Rhodey tugged him closer and kissed his temple. “I’ll fix it for you while you’re off being TFS.”

“TFS?” Darcy repeated – while internally squealing, because that little affectionate kiss was so damned adorable.

Tony grinned, though it was a little lopsided. “Tony Fucking Stark. Honeybear’s shorthand for the press version of me. What do you say, Capsicle? You mind helping platypus move our nest?”

Steve knew damned well what they were doing – but he was too grateful not to have to face another day of digging out bodies to protest. “Don’t mind t’all,” he said, voice soft and laced with Brooklyn. “Is one floor up gonna muck with your balance, Ginger?”

Catriona reached across the table to brush her hand over Steve’s. “It should not interfere, sciath ceartaiseach. I am steadier today.” She let her eyes circle the table, making brief eye contact with each of them. “I thank you all for that – I would not be near as far in my recovery were it not for the succor of my teaglach.”

“I thought—” Pepper began. She cleared her throat against a sudden tightness. “I thought the cosleeping was temporary.”

Misty felt Steve tense beneath her and saw a similar wariness in CJ and Catriona. “I’m not going to be able to sleep without people around until my ducks can be here,” Misty admitted quietly. “I like having everyone around, it… it feels like being with the teaglach at the dojo.” When Pepper still looked confused, Misty translated. “With my family at the triad’s house. Nat and Clint and Sensei and the rest of the Scoobies.”

“I am not so recovered that I dare sleep alone either,” Catriona added. Her hands twisted nervously and Tony leaned over to cover them.

“I promised Agent we’d get you healed up,” Tony told her, tipping her head up with one finger to look in her eyes. “And I might historically be bad at keeping promises, but I’ve never broken one to Agent, and I don’t intend to start now. So cut it out, Sparkle – you’re not a burden, and you aren’t an imposition.” He smoothed his thumb over her cheekbone to catch the tear that was trickling down it – and when it didn’t halt at a single tear, tugged her forward into his arms and cradled her head against his shoulder. “You’re alright. You’re safe here with us, and nobody minds if you need cuddles, got it? Hell, at this rate we’ll be fighting over the right. Just look at Rhodey over there, he’s just begging for some pixie dust.”

Catriona sniffled and obediently shifted her arms to Rhodey, who cuddled her just as easily as Tony had. The engineer wondered how much of this was remaining physical or psychic exhaustion, and how much was from dealing with Steve’s outburst. He met Rhodey’s eyes over the petite woman’s head, and a wealth of information passed between them. Rhodey shifted until Catriona was cradled more comfortably in his lap and reached for his coffee as though he comforted two-thousand-year-old druids every day.

Pepper found Happy’s eyes, and they too had a silent conversation. “Happy and I are going into the office,” Pepper said after a moment.

“Alright.” Tony flashed a smile at her. “Let me know if you need anything.”

She did. She needed a lot of things – but they were apparently invisible to the dumbest genius she’d ever met… and she’d met Justin Hammer. “Will that be all, Mister Stark?” Pepper rose from the table, her yoghurt only half finished.

“Um. That will be all, Miss Potts.” Tony’s eyebrows drew together as Pepper walked away – as Happy followed her. “What did I do wrong?” he said, turning to Rhodey. Rhodey, who always had the answers – who’d been explaining human behavior to him since he was a fourteen-year-old freshman at MIT.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Tones.” Rhodey gestured with his free arm and Tony wormed in close. “You just did something she didn’t expect, that’s all. That doesn’t make it wrong.” Tony made a wordless inquiry, and Rhodey sighed. He looked down at the druid in his lap – asleep again – and around the table. “You cared, marshmallow. She’s not used to that.”

Misty scooted closer on Tony’s other side, leaning in to rest her head on him. “What about your plans, little brother?” Just like that, she turned the subject back to the day’s schedule.

“I don’t know, back to Beta team?” CJ shrugged. “You going out again, Thor?”

“If my assistance can continue to prove helpful, I would like to,” the demigod rumbled. “I would welcome your company, youngling. You are adept at restating what others say in a manner which is more familiar to me.”

“Which leaves me and Bruce on pixie duty,” Misty concluded. “With assistance from Rhodes and Steve when the nest is rebuilt.” She nudged Tony. “What’re you doing, tin man?”

Tony shrugged. “Well, if the War Machine armor needs work – I’ll start on that.” Nevermind that his own armor was in worse shape – Rhodey’s always came first. “And you’ll stay out of the shop – I don’t know if any of the compounds are unsafe for you and the cricket, but I don’t feel like finding out.”

“Fair enough.” Misty rubbed her cheek against Tony’s shoulder. “Another Scooby will be here soon. Raj – our medic. Bruce, he might be helpful to you – his specialty is in counter-bioterrorism. He might have some insight on how to track the dead Chitauri.” 

“I’d welcome another mind,” Bruce admitted. “Tony, you think you can keep to relatively safe repairs for a couple of hours?”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Maybe. Why?”

“I have a feeling you think better with your hands busy – so if you start working on the armor, I can bounce ideas off you – and we might hit pay dirt,” Bruce said, running a hand down his face. “But I can’t leave the pixie alone, and I’d feel better if Misty worked from the couch in the lab, so…”

“I can make that work,” Tony agreed. “Fine, powwow in my lab. Honeybear, you and Capsicle can join us when you’re done being Martha Stewart.” He saw Steve’s lack of understanding and waved a hand. “We’ll add her to your cultural references list, Spangles.”

~ * ~


	10. Chapter 10

With the departure of Pepper and Happy for Stark Industries, followed by CJ and Thor leaving for the recovery efforts, the focus within the Tower shifted to the workday. Erik and Jane disappeared into the lab Tony had set aside for their use. Darcy followed them, delighted to see that crates of equipment and research both from their brief sojourn in Norway and their previous lab in New Mexico had been delivered. (Some of that data had been liberated from SHIELD – Darcy didn’t know who or what was responsible for it, but wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.)

Tony ordered JARVIS to send the War Machine armor to the workshop, and headed down to begin a careful inspection of the damage it had sustained on Rhodey’s last mission. The inspection wouldn’t put Misty and the cricket in any danger – and if he ran out of War Machine to pore over, he could start a similar examination of his own armor without exposing the baby to anything harmful, either.

Rhodey and Steve had already removed the mattresses, so it was onto the futon that Catriona and Misty settled. Bruce sat down with his tablet in hand, and promptly had his lap claimed by a drowsy druid. He grinned over her towards Misty, who smiled fondly. The blonde former squad leader had her earpiece in and a tablet identical to what Bruce was wielding – but hers was for managing the operations of Thor, CJ, and the Stark Industries Beta Team.

While they were busy in the workshop, Rhodey directed Steve to carry the mattresses up one floor so that they could begin assembling new sleeping quarters. The supersoldier was still quiet – worryingly so, in Rhodey’s opinion. He took direction without complaint and without much consideration.

Rhodey had chosen this particular area because it was mostly unformed. In the plans that Tony had sent him months ago, this particular room was intended to be a sound testing chamber. It wasn’t completed yet, but there was some sound baffling material already on the walls, and stacks of more of it nearby. They used it to form a base beneath the mattresses – and at JARVIS’s suggestion, also used some thinner foam to fill the gaps between the two mattresses. When they were finished, it no longer looked like two California king mattresses shoved together, but one massive expanse of bedding. JARVIS was also able to direct them to a supply of fabric that could easily be turned into sheets and blankets for the almost laughably large surface – although he politely suggested that while a single fitted sheet would be wise, perhaps individual blankets would be welcome for those not wishing to battle Sir for blankets all night?

That made Rhodey laugh – years of sleeping beside Tony had revealed that the genius invariably stole every covering until he was wrapped up like a burrito with only his nose protruding. “He still does that?” Rhodey asked JARVIS, not bothering to hide his fondness.

“He does, Colonel Rhodes.” JARVIS’s tone was amused. “He has yet to prevail in such a sleep battle against Captain Rogers, however.”

Rhodey snorted and looked at Steve. “You must keep a death grip on the edge of the comforter, then – I can’t count the number of times I’ve woken up with my ass half off the bed, freezing.” Steve shuddered – and Rhodey flinched. “Okay, bad choice of words.”

“S’okay,” Steve mumbled. “Don’t need to walk on eggshells ‘bout it.”

Pausing to look more closely at the supersoldier, Rhodey frowned. Rather than being blinded by Captain America, the commander of the Howling Commandos and a hero of World War Two – he allowed himself to see the young man. “How old are you, soldier?” Rhodey asked after a moment.

Steve ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “Turned twenty-six on my last birthday – last one I was awake for, at any rate, sir.”

He overlooked the honorific – Rhodey figured he deserved it, for calling Steve ‘soldier’ – and if it made it easier for Steve to answer his questions, Rhodey could treat him as he would any other man under his command. “How many of those did you celebrate in a war zone?”

Another head duck. “Two. Sort of. Turned twenty-five ‘bout three weeks after Rebirth – I weren’t in a war zone, but I was sellin’ war bonds with the USO. Spent basically all of ’44 with the Howlies… we was in occupied France in July. Spent m’ birthday ‘round a campfire, eatin’ stolen rations. Jacques found some wine somewhere. Dum Dum found somethin’ sweet – think it was syrup o’ some sort.” Rhodey was watching Steve carefully as he spoke, waiting for any indication that the memories were too painful to continue. “Monty cooked up somethin’ hot on the fire and we all ate good, and Bucky—”

Without regard to rank or propriety, Rhodey put his hand on Steve’s shoulder and pulled him in for a rough hug. The blond resisted for half a breath before allowing it, drawing in a deep, shaking breath. “The others, they don’t get it,” Rhodey said quietly. “They get that you miss people, that you cared about your men. They don’t get that you miss the war. Not the fighting – I know that,” he added, when he felt Steve start to object. “Not the death and the killing. But there’s something special about food eaten around a campfire, isn’t there?” Steve nodded against him. “Just like there’s a clarity in knowing what’s expected of you every day.” Rhodey didn’t hold Steve the same way he would Tony – that was a singular privilege – but this wasn’t the first young man he’d comforted, or the first time he’d given this little speech. “When you’re out there, it’s easier,” Rhodey continued, pitching his voice quietly. “You know who the enemy is and what to do about him. You know what you’re supposed to do – take ‘em out, while keeping you and yours safe. It’s… it’s not that simple when you come home, is it?”

“Didn’t come home,” Steve said quietly.

“And you didn’t get them all home, either,” Rhodey finished for him. “Not only did you lose one in combat – you didn’t get to bring the rest of your men back either.” He pulled back so that he could look Steve dead in the eyes. “You need to remember something, soldier. Man to man, soldier to soldier.”

“I’m listenin’.”

“Your men thought you were left behind,” Rhodey said bluntly. “You and Barnes both. They carried that burden for a hell of a lot longer than you’ve had it. Every interview anybody ever recorded with one of your Commandos, they mourned you. Both of you.” He gave Rogers’ shoulders a little shake. “Mourn your dead to honor them, because they mattered – but live your goddamned life, because that’s what they’d want for you. You pick up that shield, you put on that ridiculous uniform – you do it for every damned one of your men. You do it for every kid like Tony and me that read those stupid ass comics and thought you were a hero, and most important – and you listen to me! – you do it for you, because while you’re bruised and banged up, you’re still a kid from Brooklyn who doesn’t like bullies. You got me?”

“Yes, sir.” The words were formal, but the look Steve gave Rhodey was pure emotion – gratitude.

“Alright then.” Rhodey released him and stepped back. “Now. I couldn’t help but notice that you’re bonding with your new team – the Avengers.”

Steve smiled a little – still shaky, but it carried to his eyes. “Yeah. They’re… they’re pretty swell. Ginger – Catriona and Misty’s people too. I… Misty was my first friend, when I woke up.”

“She seems like a good one.” Rhodey snapped a blanket out in midair to straighten it before adding it to the nest. “But I was talking about Tony.”

“I kinda figured.”

Rhodey smiled. “Tony mention how he and I met?”

“Not really… it was at college though, right?”

He found a chair beneath a pile of sound baffling and sat down, pushing a second chair towards Steve. “MIT. I was an eighteen-year-old engineering major already enrolled in ROTC. I knew the military was my future. And I thought I was being hazed – razzed – when the resident advisor of the dorm told me he was assigning me a fourteen-year-old roommate, and that keeping him out of trouble was my problem.” Rhodey chuckled at the look on Steve’s face. “Yeah, he was just a kid. Neither of us found out until later that his Aunt Peggy had made a deal with MIT – assign Tony a minder, and she’d foot the bill for whatever damages he caused. Good thing, too – because Howard wouldn’t have paid them, which would have meant Tony getting expelled and sent back to that hellhole.” Rhodey paused. “Sorry.”

Steve rubbed his chin. “I told Tony this and I’ll tell you too – Howard was no friend of mine. I know he told Tony somethin’ diff’rent but – look, I can guess some of the shit he pulled. Just based on the lies he told Tony about me, and…” he trailed off, thinking of the haunted look in Tony’s eyes when his father had come up. “I ain’t su’prised it was Peggy that stepped up.”

“So there I was – snot-nosed punk and all – with a spoiled rich kid and orders to keep him safe.”

“Tony ain’t spoiled,” Steve protested. “Rich, I’ll give ya, but – ”

Rhodey’s grin broadened. “You’re mostly right. The Tony you’ve seen since I’ve been here, and I’m guessing since you guys got to the Tower – you’re getting the purest version of him. It took me a little while to get this version.” It had taken Tony about a week to trust Rhodey – not long, given the genius’s myriad trust issues. He appreciated how rapid that had been, now. At the time, he’d thought it infuriatingly slow. “In the meantime, he was spoiled and entitled and a pain in the ass to be around.” Rhodey paused. “He still can be. A lot. Being friends with Tony Stark isn’t easy.”

“Ain’t lookin’ for easy.”

“I know.” Rhodey plucked at the knee of his jeans. He’d been touched but ultimately unsurprised that there was a fully stocked wardrobe in a suite intended to be his – right down to the brand of socks he preferred, and an unopened bar of his favorite soap next to the sink. “But if you don’t think you can stick around – the sooner you know that, the better.”

Steve’s eyebrows drew together. “You think I’m gonna cut and run when the goin’ gets tough?”

“I think a lot of people in Tony’s life have.” Rhodey met Steve’s eyes. “I think a hell of a lot of people manage a couple days or weeks before they can’t handle it anymore – when his manic engineering binges or impulse buys or obsessive need to provide for people gets to be too much. And I get it – he can be overwhelming.”

“There ain’t nothin’ wrong with him,” Steve said firmly. “Fury tried to get me to believe the worst of ‘im and – it just ain’t true.”

“You’re right. But few people see that.” Rhodey tapped his knee, then tugged at the neck of his shirt. “This is a perfect example. I didn’t bring these clothes with me. I didn’t take the time to pack a bag before I flew here. But Tony knows my sizes, knows what I like… and had everything I could possibly need already stocked.” He paused. “He outfitted my room before his own, Steve. That’s how Tony is.”

Steve gnawed at the edge of his fingernail, looking at Rhodey with eyes that were at once both heartbreakingly young and painfully shrewd. He wasn’t sure exactly what Rhodey was to Tony – or vice versa. He suspected it was closer to how he and Bucky had been than he and the Howlies… but there was Pepper, too. He’d seen Tony kiss her in a manner nobody kissed a dame that wasn’t his. He’d seen Rhodey kiss Tony too, but only in a way that could be written off as affectionate and familial. While he might have once assumed that was to hide a homosexual relationship… he’d seen Clint Barton and Phil Coulson touch each other more intimately, and he didn’t think Colonel Rhodes was any less brave than Hawkeye or the Chief. So then – what were they? Or… was it one-sided? If they’d been friends this long… and it had to be decades, Steve guessed Rhodey was at least in his early forties to have attained his rank – there was probably a hell of a lot between the two of them, and it had to be deep. “I understand needin’ to take care of people,” Steve said finally. “Him buildin’ things and buyin’ things – that’s how he does it. I bet he doesn’t say the words real often, but he shows ‘em instead.” Steve raised an eyebrow, satisfied when Rhodey nodded slowly in agreement. “His dame – Miss Potts seems to think we’re gonna take advantage of that generosity. She looks at us like we’re gonna steal the silver if she ain’t watchin’. Her and Happy look at us – and Tony – like he’s off his rocker, and they’re just waitin’ for him to implode. You don’t – and I appreciate the difference.”

“How the hell did they ever train that accent out of you?” Rhodey blurted.

The supersoldier ducked his head and grinned up at Rhodey through blond eyelashes, reminding the pilot why an entire generation of women (and some men) had fallen for him. “I manage the bland all-American tone if I think about it,” he said, with not a hint of Brooklyn in his voice. Then his smile broadened, and his eyes twinkled. “But iffin’ I don’t hafta, I kinda like talkin’ like I did at home.” Steve paused. “Since… this is home, now. I get that you’re protective of your – of Tony. I ain’t upset by that. But he’s given me the closest thing to a home I’ve had since I woke up, and filled it full of people I can care about, and help keep safe. That’s… that’s a helluva lot more important to me than him needin’ some special handlin’.” He tipped his head to one side, examining Rhodey closely – and then stuck out a hand. “How’s this – you’ve got my word I’ll be as careful with Tony as I know how. I can’t say I won’t never hurt his feelin’s, or that he might never be mad as hell at me – but I ain’t givin’ up on him. Deal?”

Gravely, Rhodey shook Steve’s hand. “Deal.” Before he released the handclasp though, he looked Steve dead in the eye. “If you ever hurt him purposely, I don’t care what science is running through your veins – I will find a way to hunt you down and take every single ounce of pain you gave him out of your hide – tenfold. We clear, soldier?”

“Crystal.” And though it probably wasn’t an appropriate response to a threat, Steve grinned and tugged Rhodey in for another hug. “I hope he knows how lucky he is to have you.”

“He’s not the only lucky one,” Rhodey murmured.

~ * ~

“I come bearing gifts!” Raj announced as he stepped off the elevator. His face was partially obscured by the stack of boxes in his arms, but Misty knew him immediately anyway.

“Doc, hell it’s good to see you,” Misty blurted, jumping up to cross the workshop to him. She started to grab the top box out of his arms only to have it jerked unceremoniously away from her. “Hey, I was—”

“Not going to lift anything heavier than a bag of flour,” Bruce finished for her. “Doctor’s – and Healer’s – orders.”

Raj blinked from Misty to Bruce. “Dude, that’s more impressive than your Otherself.”

Bruce smiled, carrying the box over beside the futon and setting it down. “Thanks.” He helped Raj stack the other two boxes before extending his hand. “You’ve obviously figured it out already, but I’m Doctor Bruce Banner.”

“Agent Rajit Ramanujan,” Raj responded – before abandoning formality entirely to wrap Misty in an almost too-tight hug. “That’s from Angie – and a second one from Ria. Goddess, I’m glad to see you.” He released Misty to crouch next to the futon and pull Catriona into his arms next. “How’re you feeling, pixie? Better?”

“I am recovering, cneasai drogallach.” Catriona rested her head against Raj’s shoulder for a moment, breathing in the oddly spice scent of him. “And you?”

The squad medic made a face but didn’t answer. He straightened up from his crouch and looked around. “Um. Buffy.” He gestured vaguely in the direction of a man manipulating a holographic protection. “Is that… Buffy, is that – ”

Chuckling, Tony swept the hologram aside and strode towards the newcomer. “The phrase you’re looking for is ‘Tony Fucking Stark’ and yes I am. Hi. We didn’t meet on the helicarrier.”

Misty snorted and wormed her way under one of Tony’s arms. It served the dual purpose of getting a cuddle and reassuring her squadmate that Tony had her approval. Catriona yawned and did the same on Tony’s other side. Bruce chuckled and sank back down on the futon while Raj stared. “It’s okay, Raj,” Misty said softly. “We’re good.”

“Where’s the kid?” Raj looked around the workshop again – and tellingly, up at the ceiling as well. “How’s he doing? He looked… last time I saw him, he didn’t look so good.”

“CJ’s off with Thor working search and rescue.” Misty lifted the tablet in her hand. “I’m running their team from here. Steve was out with them yesterday, but we needed him inhouse today.”

“Huh.” Raj ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. You wanna send me out with him? Them? Do they need a medic?”

“Actually,” Bruce interrupted with a smile, “I was hoping you’d help me with the project I’m working on – identifying and neutralizing Chitauri remains.”

Tony absently petted Catriona’s hair, his eyes on the newcomer. “If you’d rather not mess with that, I’ve got a few projects that could benefit from your particular skill set – I’m very interested in the paper you published on the possible counteragents to VX gas.”

“You’ve read my paper?” Raj squeaked. “On reversing nerve gas?”

“It was a good paper,” Bruce said absently, not looking up from his tablet. “That complex of enzymes you posited could be the solution, if we can figure out how to replicate them efficiently and effectively.”

Raj’s eyes slid to Misty again. The squad leader sat down next to Bruce on the futon and tugged Raj down next to her. “If you don’t want to work in that field, you just have to say,” she said gently. “Nobody’s going to shout at you for preferring to work with Bruce on his Chitauri thing – or if you want to go out as a field medic with the blond squad. Up to you.” Misty squeezed his hand. “If you’re worrying about us, don’t – Catriona has checked the cricket, and we’re both still healthy as can be.”

“They know about the cricket?” Raj blurted.

“And ducks.” Misty shifted her hand from his shoulder to cup his cheek. “I know it isn’t the dojo, but try and think of it as… dojo adjacent, maybe. Safe space, I promise.”

He breathed in deeply and blew it out. “Okay. You’re the boss, Buff.” But damn, he was overwhelmed. “I brought a box each for you, Catriona, and the kid. Packed special by Angie and Maria. I left mine in the car along with my luggage. Where am I bunking?”

Misty raised an eyebrow at Tony, who shrugged. “Got spare bedrooms if you want a room of your own – but we’ve been cosleeping. Honeybear and Spangles were working on the perfect cuddle nest one floor up.”

“The nest appears complete, Sir,” JARVIS supplied. “Would you like me to direct you there, Agent Ramanujan?”

Raj shook his head slowly. “If you can handle it, Buff – I’d like some privacy.”

“Whatever you need,” Misty promised, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. “If the nest is done, are Steve and Rhodey joining us, JARVIS?”

In answer, the elevator slid open. “Heya, doll,” Steve said immediately, coming forward to drop a kiss on Misty’s forehead.

“Jesus, did you not learn your lesson about that already?” Raj breathed, glancing at Misty as though expecting her to begin a tirade on the proper way to address a woman – one he’d heard her give others before. For that matter, she’d objected to the way Steve treated her in Raj’s presence before – though he hadn’t been close enough to hear the details.

Steve raised an eyebrow at Raj, who he vaguely recognized from the medical bay of the helicarrier. “Misty ain’t shy – she’ll let me know if she don’t like me callin’ her that. I don’t know that we got properly introduced in all that chaos.” Steve held out his hand. “Steve Rogers.”

“Rajit Ramanujan,” Raj responded automatically, shaking the large hand. “Most everybody calls me Raj.”

“A few of us call him Doc,” Misty added, elbowing their medic. “His field call sign.”

“I’m not actually a doctor,” Raj demurred, wincing away from her elbow. “Just a medic.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up – for two separate reasons. “C’mon, I can use a break,” he told Raj easily. “I’ll show you up to the residential suites. Platypus, would you take a look at the holoprojection of that left boot and tell me if that servo’s giving you grief?” he added over his shoulder as he disentangled himself from Catriona and gestured for the newest of Phil’s people to follow him. “Be right back,” he promised.

No one made an issue of Tony’s refusal to delegate the task – there were some advantages to being known as an eccentric. Tony waited until the elevator had opened on the residential floor before he spoke again. Raj’s silence was only further proof, in Tony’s mind. He led the latest Scooby to one of the empty rooms, gesturing for him to enter. When Raj did, Tony followed him in under the guise of showing him around the suite. Once Raj had relaxed though, Tony’s hand shot out and touched the medic’s ribs.

“Damn it!” Raj swore, and dodged away from him. “Fuck off, that hurts.”

Rather than being put off by the language, Tony nodded slowly. “You wanna tell me why your squad leader and magic druid voodoo healer don’t know you’re wounded? If you got hurt in the Battle—”

“It wasn’t in the Battle,” Raj interrupted.

Tony fixed Raj with the same glare he used on recalcitrant board members – and delinquent project managers. “Okay. Tell me what happened after you left your squad that bruised your ribs.”

“Cracked, Sir,” JARVIS interrupted crisply.

“What the hell!”

“JARVIS scanned you in the elevator,” Tony said blithely. “Which he wouldn’t have had to do, if you’d fessed up earlier. Explanation, please.” When Raj refused to answer, Tony huffed a dramatic sigh. “J, get Agent on the phone, please—”

Raj held up a hand. “Don’t interrupt Chief. Please.” He closed his eyes briefly. “They need the time. They need – they need each other.”

“Okay.” Tony leaned back against a wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “Look, I’m not one to judge. I’ve done more stupid shit than you can ever imagine, and I fly around in a metal tube at unsafe speeds – sometimes just for shits and grins. So nothing you can say is going to shock me. But I promised Agent I’d take care of his people, and that includes stubborn ass biochemical researchers who won’t admit to injury.”

“I got roughed up,” Raj said after a moment. He closed his eyes again and took a deep – painful – breath. “It’s not serious, and I’ll heal. The pixie’s not in any shape to heal me – the kid and Buff have been keeping us informed. I know she’s not up to snuff, she can barely stay awake.”

Tony approached Raj slowly, almost as though he were a horse at risk of spooking. “Let me take a look.” It wasn’t a question, and he tugged the scientist’s t-shirt up until he could examine the fist-shaped bruises littering Raj’s chest and torso. “Okay. Real talk.” He let the shirt drop back down. “Is this a consensual sex thing? Because if it is, I’ll drop it and never mention it again… but if it isn’t…”

Raj met Tony’s eyes. “It isn’t.” He shoved aside a scientist’s near-worship of the brilliant engineer – shoved aside a former SHIELD agent’s reverence for a bona fide superhero – and looked instead at the man his Chief had called by a Gaelic name, and who had offered them sanctuary. With that top of mind, Raj let his shoulders hunch forward. If Phil could name this man as part of the clan – whether Tony knew it or not – Raj could trust him. “I… I’m tangled up with some bad people,” he said finally. His voice was almost too soft for Tony to make out. “I thought SHIELD had solved the problem when I signed on but… apparently it was contingent on me staying an agent, and me resigning…”

“Meant said bad people came calling again,” Tony finished for him. “I’m guessing Agent knows about the bad people, but not that they’re back in play?” Raj nodded. “Okay. What is it you need to get out from under them?”

“Time?” Raj suggested weakly. “I don’t know. I… my family… when my parents cut me off, I lost all the funding for school. And they managed to – they pulled some strings so I couldn’t get financing anywhere, so I went to somebody I shouldn’t have, and—”

Tony put a hand on Raj’s shoulder. “Serious, this is just about money? No felonies or anything?” Raj looked at him blankly. “Okay, yeah, I’m guessing it’s a lot of money but – that’s all they’ve got on you?”

“I did some work for them,” Raj admitted. “Patching up goons, before SHIELD. I don’t know how illegal it was, I didn’t… I didn’t ask. But they knocked money off my debt every time, so… so I stitched people up and kept my mouth shut.”

“Okay.” Tony squeezed Raj’s shoulder, mindful to avoid the bruises. “Here’s what you’re going to do. First off – I want the name of whoever you made your deal with, or who owns your debt now. As of right now, you consider that debt mine.” Raj started to protest, and Tony raised his free hand to cut him off. “It’s not a free ride. There’s a condition.” Warily, Raj waited. “You let me send you back to NYU School of Medicine, and you finish that MD. Yes – I know how close you got. I wasn’t joking when I said I’d read your papers. I’ve read quite a few,” Tony admitted with a small smile. “I’m not going to ask you to work on bioweapons and I’m not going to insist you work for Stark Industries – but damn it, Ramanujan. You’ve got one hell of a brain in that noggin of yours, and I refuse to let it shrivel just because your blood family wouldn’t pay up for you to finish school. Got me?”

“I can’t repay you any more than I can the damned mob,” Raj snarled.

“I didn’t ask you to,” Tony continued, unfazed by the hostility. “I don’t need the money.” He squeezed Raj’s shoulder again. “But seriously, your papers – your approach to chemical counteragents is elegant, Ramanujan. I want your brain. Not in a creepy zombie way – and not in a mad scientist collecting specimens way. The world needs that brain.” Tony met Raj’s eyes again and held them. “It isn’t because you’re Agent’s. It’s because you’re brilliant, and the world needs more beautiful brains. Having letters after your name means more people will take that brilliance seriously – and having my name associated with it means I get credit for shining light on that brilliance. So it’s entirely self-serving, to fund you. Got me?”

Raj’s pride wanted to refuse – wanted to insist that he could clean up his own goddamned mess. But if he’d been able to fix it himself, he wouldn’t have wound up in debt to a crime family and subsequently damned neared owned by SHIELD. And if he was going to owe his soul to the company store… he’d rather it be Stark Industries than SHIELD or the mob. “The Petrillo family,” Raj said after a moment. “I made the deal with Victor D’Arco, one of their lieutenants.”

“I know the family,” Tony said. “I’ll take care of it.” He released Raj’s shoulder and stepped back – and it wasn’t until then that Raj realized the engineer had been touching him the whole time, and maintaining eye contact. “Do you want to tell Agent, or do you want me to?” 

“I’ll tell him,” Raj promised quietly. “When they’re home – it’s not… I don’t want to interrupt…”

“Alright.” Tony nodded once. “I’ll accept your word that you’ll tell him. J, you said those ribs were cracked – any other injuries that need dealing with?”

“I do not believe so, Sir,” JARVIS answered, “but it would be wise to have Doctor Banner or Lady Catriona confirm my diagnosis.”

Raj was already shaking his head, and Tony held up a hand. “I won’t force the issue. You’re not moving like they’re hurting too bad, and you’re breathing fine. I don’t have a problem letting you hide bruised ribs. You’ve got enough training to know when to seek help.”

“Um. Mister Stark?” Raj asked quietly.

“I’m just Tony at home. You got a question, just ask it.”

He bit his lip first, running his fingers gingerly over the fabric which hid a bruise. “How’d you… I mean, how’d you know? About the bruises? Buffy didn’t notice. I thought – I thought I’d hid them fine.”

Tony paused before answering. “I’m acutely aware of what bruised ribs look and feel like,” he said finally. “And I know every trick in the book for hiding them.” He paused in the doorway as he left. “Try some arnica balm. If you don’t have any, ask JARVIS. He’ll get you some.”

~ * ~


	11. Chapter 11

It was an off-hand comment by a Stark Industries employee that got CJ thinking. They were taking a momentary break from work – the scanner that Beta team was using needed rejiggering, some techy thing that CJ didn’t understand (and missed Angie like hell when they mentioned) but it gave him a chance to snag a bottle of water and sit down for a moment, watching the crew. Thor was holding the equipment up for the technician – eager to help, even if it was just as muscle.

“I have no talent for such mechanisms,” the demigod demurred, when the technician asked his input with something that CJ thought wavered between lust and reverence. (It seemed to be a common reaction to Thor, come to think of it.) “I leave the workings of such to those who have such skill – though I place myself willingly under their tutelage, should that knowledge be freely dispensed.”

“Reckon you and Mister Stark will get on just fine then,” Dorsey said approvingly. “He can tolerate people not knowing things – but he’s got no patience for people pretending to have skills that they don’t. Honesty is the best policy, with him.”

“A wise truism,” Thor agreed solemnly.

It was weird, in a way, to hear what Dorsey and the other Stark Industries employees had to say about Tony Stark – because it did not match at all what CJ had heard of him at SHIELD. Director Fury talked about Stark like he was a necessary evil – and at times, CJ hadn’t even heard the ‘necessary’ part of that. He bitched about Iron Man’s involvement in any operation, regardless of how critical his participation proved. When Fury wasn’t cursing the man himself, he was sniping at the power which the corporation wielded. 

Stark Industries did indeed hold a hell of a lot of power and influence, CJ could see that – but from what he’d seen over the past couple of days, it wasn’t being tossed about carelessly. Sure, there was going to be good public relations over just how much money and manpower SI was pouring into the recovery efforts… but he didn’t think it was an even trade, and he didn’t think it was all for show. Case in point – the bottle of water in his hand. There were cases of bottled water sprinkled liberally wherever a Stark Industries team was working, and they weren’t just for the employees. He’d seen Dorsey hand bottles out to a pair of teenagers on foot – watched another Beta team member flip a hardhat upside down and fill it with water for a stray dog. There were no cameras to record those tiny acts of humanity… and they spoke louder to CJ than any of the splashy public donations that might have Tony’s name associated with them. His employees trusted that they weren’t going to be disciplined for giving out company resources freely. They were secure in their jobs. Sure, they bitched about the awful task they were doing, the quality of the food, their bosses, the usual… but even though they bitched about the food, nobody seemed surprised that they were well fed.

Which argued that Stark Industries took care of its people in a way that CJ could recognize was Tony’s hand at work… because hadn’t he been taking care of all of them? And what he expected in return – what his employees gave him – was hard work, loyalty, and honesty.

CJ had no problem with the hard work. The past few days hadn’t been a cakewalk, but they were nothing compared to what he’d endured with the League. (He shied carefully away from those memories, at least until he could be back at the Tower with his family.) Loyalty wasn’t a stretch either. Though he figured Tony didn’t know it yet, he was clan now. CJ might have a rather unique definition of family, but once he’d accepted a person… well, he couldn’t imagine a force on or off this planet that would get him to betray one of the Clan. 

Honesty was harder. Not because CJ was actively lying to Tony… but because there were a couple of truths about himself that he’d rather tell the man directly, than have him find out through what he could only guess were superior methods of ferreting out information. As much respect for Phil’s abilities as CJ had – and it was legion – he was fairly sure that Tony and JARVIS would be able to find the truth of his background, once they looked. If they looked. And CJ knew from the ends of his blond hair to the tips of his combat boots that it would hurt Tony, if he found that information and thought they’d kept it from him… that he or Phil didn’t trust Tony enough to be honest.

That wouldn’t do – so CJ crept away during the lunch break to call his Chief. He’d hoisted himself up onto the roof of a small bistro, well behind the green-and-white fabric awning. It wasn’t that he necessarily needed that kind of privacy… but as soon as the call connected and he felt himself relaxing, he was glad he was tucked out of sight. Phil’s voice made him grin like an idiot. “CJ? Is everything alright, kiddo?”

“Yeah.” CJ pressed his back against the rooftop, letting tension seep out. “You know, I don’t call you just when something’s wrong.”

Phil chuckled. “Alright. Fair point.” There was a rustling in the background, the murmur of voices. “Clint and Nat say hello as well. If you’re calling to check up on us, we’re doing just fine, faireoir.”

The words were right, but there was a little bit of worry in Phil’s voice that CJ couldn’t quite parse. He’d have to ask Misty later… she usually had a better read on their Chief. “I miss you guys,” CJ admitted quietly. “But I did actually have a reason for calling.”

“Color me surprised.”

“Sarcasm is a good color on you, Boss, you should wear it more often,” CJ shot back – just to hear the laughter it earned him in return. “I was thinking about… well. Tony’s one of us, isn’t he? One of the Clan?”

Even across the miles, CJ could feel Phil’s attention sharpen. “Something about Tony bothering you, kiddo?”

“No!” CJ was quick to head that off – because he could damned well imagine the places Phil’s mind leaped to. “Not like that. Not really. And nothing he’s done! Just… a kind of general resemblance… nevermind. That isn’t actually why I called. I wanted to know if it was okay if I told him.”

There was a pause. “Told him what, CJ?”

“The truth?” CJ said weakly. “My age, the whole… the whole thing. Maybe not the whole thing but, you know. I want… patrarc, I don’t ever want to be one of the people who lies to him. I think a lot of people have, and… I don’t want to be one of them. Even by omission.” He mistook Phil’s silence for objection and barreled on. “I know it could put you in a bind and I’m sorry for that but—”

“Faireoir,” Phil interrupted. “I’m not concerned about me. It’s your story, your truth. If you want to tell it to Tony, that’s up to you. I would never stop you from being honest with a clanmate. You surprised me, that’s all.”

CJ blew out a breath. “Okay.” His voice was softer now. “But it’s not bad surprise?”

“Not in the slightest.” He could hear Phil’s smile. “I think it’s wonderful that you feel you can tell him that, kiddo.”

“I… umm. I trust him. And… Bruce too.” CJ closed his eyes briefly. “I maybe had a little bit of a meltdown last night – don’t freak out – and he, Bruce I mean, he… made me feel safe. Like you do.” CJ wasn’t conscious of the awed tone to his words. “I could… I can feel safe with him. With them.”

“I would never have sent you back there if I didn’t think you could be safe with them,” Phil told him, as gently as he knew how. “If I didn’t trust them with you, I’d never have let you leave Iowa.”

“I know.” And he did – in that same core of certainty where he kept his name, and his clan – CJ knew damned well that Phil would keep him safe. “I was just… I felt weird that somebody else made me feel safe like you do? I don’t know. That sounds weird.”

“Don’t make me put rules on ‘weird’ like we have for ‘okay’ and ‘fine’,” Phil teased lightly, before his tone gentled again. “I’m glad that Bruce could comfort you. I’m glad that you’re in a place that you can accept his comfort – and him being able to help you through a meltdown doesn’t make me love you any less, kiddo.”

Trust Phil to see straight through to the heart of his concern. That was one of those loaded words for them – love – but CJ had needed to hear it right now, and he’d had no idea. Somehow, his Chief had. “I know.” CJ sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. “Love you too.”

Long after he’d returned to his task with his cell phone tucked safely in his pocket, CJ was still thinking about that… and about the conversation he needed to have with Tony, sooner rather than later.

~ * ~

“Lunch,” Rhodey said firmly – at exactly noon. “We can order in or I can cook, but you need food, martini.”

“Your military training is showing again,” Tony said absently. He was contorted half upside-down, examining some damage to the exterior rear of the War Machine armor. “All that routine is terrible for you. It takes you days after a mission to stop nagging.” He was running hands – and scanners – over ever millimeter of the exterior casing. “How the hell did you get blast damage back here, honeybear? What were they shooting with?”

Rhodey raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms from where he sat on the futon. Misty was to his left, murmuring into her headset. Catriona was asleep on his right. Both Bruce and Raj were working on tablets at separate workstations in the shop. Steve was helping Tony – or trying to – by moving and lifting various pieces of equipment as the genius asked. (Rhodey could have told him it was an exercise in frustration, but the soldier seemed better for having something to do, so he didn’t protest further.) “You’re not going to distract me from feeding you by calling it nagging – or by trying to get my classified operations report.”

“We ate like…” Tony rolled his eyes up at the ceiling.

“Five hours ago, Sir,” JARVIS supplied. “Both Doctor Banner and Captain Rogers experience enhanced metabolisms and would benefit from nutrition at this time. In addition, Lady Catriona’s recovery—”

Tony sighed loudly and theatrically. “Yeah, okay, I got it. So. Lunch.” He met Rhodey’s eyes. “You really feel like cooking, or was that an empty offer? Because you know how I feel about Rhodes cooking.”

“I know that Rhodes cooking is the surest way to get you to eat,” Rhodey agreed. He extracted himself from the futon, smiling as the sleepy druid nestled into the warm spot he’d left. He crossed to where Tony was working, brushing a strand of hair back from his face. “Chicken?”

“I made chicken last night,” Tony told him. “Followed Mama’s recipe and everything. Came out crispy golden perfection.” He tossed his head, dislodging the hair that Rhodey had just straightened. “Don’t do that, honeybear – you know I hate it when you do that.”

Rhodey laughed, low in his throat. “Sorry, I’ll leave the primping to you.” He stepped back, shaking his head fondly. “Meatloaf?”

He tried to hide the way his eyes lit up – really, he did. “That would be okay,” Tony said with faux casualness.

“Uh-huh.” Rhodey shook his head again. “J-Man, I’m betting this madman just happens to have enough ingredients on hand to make enough meatloaf to feed this whole crew too, doesn’t he?”

“Sir did add those items to the last grocery purchase, Colonel Rhodes.”

Steve was watching the interaction between Tony and Rhodey with carefully puzzled detachment. He knew it was invasive as hell of him to be scrutinizing their interactions – but it was either embrace the puzzle and see if he could figure out what they were to each other…. or let his heart bleed more at every intimate touch. Sure, it might not be the kind of intimacy he’d had with –

Further thoughts from Steve were derailed entirely by the whimpering cry from Catriona. All in an instant, he realized she was asleep and not touching anyone – realized that though Misty was on the futon as well, she was at the far edge… and that when Rhodey had risen, he hadn’t made sure that the tiny redhead was in contact with anyone. 

He moved faster than he could remember, dropping the mechanism he’d been holding for Tony and gathering the now shrieking druid into his arms. Steve had absolutely no idea what to do further – his only thought was to get her in his arms, where she might feel safe from whatever it was that haunted her dreams, that made her cry with such heart-wrenching agony in Gaelic. Part of his mind registered that Misty and the others were speaking – that Rhodey was babbling an apology and Tony was shushing him because none of them had known how serious it was. Raj’s thumbs flew over the screen of his cell phone, asking what the hell they were supposed to do to wake her up at the same time that Misty was asking Thor the same question over the comms.

“Shhhh,” Steve whispered helplessly. He was rocking the thrashing body now, restraining her so that she didn’t hurt herself or anyone else. “Shh, you’re alright. You’re safe here, Ginger.” He caught one of her hands in his own, dragged it to the pendant she wore around her neck – that he’d seen her touch as frequently as he reached for his own dog tags. Those tags had gotten loose from beneath his shirt at some point, probably while he’d been making the nest with Rhodey, and clinked against her pendant as he drew her hand to his chest. “You’re safe, Catriona. Open your eyes for me, doll. You’re safe with us.” He felt others press in – felt Bruce’s hand rest on Catriona’s back, knew that the softer warmth at his side was Misty. Tony crowded in on Steve’s other side, adding touch and words to the cocoon around Catriona.

Raj was approaching – pale and resolute – to slap her as ordered by Natasha when Catriona’s eyes opened. They bounced wildly around the room – unable to settle on anyone or anything – until she caught Steve’s. Her chin trembled and she began to cry again, this time with tears. “I can never save them,” she whispered, voice wrecked from the force of her earlier shrieks. “No matter how many times I dream it – no matter how many times I beg – I can never save them.” She closed her eyes and pressed her face into Steve’s shirt, sobbing.

“I know,” Steve said, his voice very soft. His eyes met Tony’s first, then Rhodey’s. In them he saw the same weight. Not perhaps the same tonnage – Steve didn’t know exactly who or what they’d lost, or how – but he saw the grief of men who’d been too late. There was a different flavor of it in Bruce’s eyes, and Steve thought it was more of a doctor’s resignation of the loss of patients. A similar understanding in Misty’s and Raj’s eyes – Steve didn’t doubt they’d experienced loss, but he didn’t think it was at the level of responsibility that he felt. That didn’t negate their grief or make them unable to comfort Catriona, but it was that burden of command that Steve thought pressed most deeply on the druid – because it was weighed heaviest on him. “Not too long ago, a wise man told me that the best way to honor my dead was to live my life. I reckon he’d say the same to you, Ginger.”

“Would, and will,” Rhodey agreed. He wasn’t pressed as close into the cuddle as the others – but then, Catriona barely knew him. “Can you take a deep breath for me, please?” He waited until she’d complied, smiling encouragingly. “There you go. In and out. Can you match your breathing with Steve’s? I know he’s a freakishly perfect human being, his respiration’s probably just what yours needs to be.”

Misty recognized the tactic as the same one Tony had used on her during her own anxiety attack – and it worked on the druid too, with the added bonus of a huffed laugh. Catriona’s breathing eased and her tears backed off, but she kept her eyes shut.

Tony leaned into Steve’s side to press a kiss to Catriona’s temple. It didn’t surprise him that Rhodey’d had some sage words for the supersoldier – Rhodey always knew what to say. That he could calm down the druid was just more evidence, in Tony’s mind, of his honeybear’s nigh-unbeatable people skills. Gently, Tony brushed the tears from Catriona’s cheeks. “There’s no shame allowed in my Tower, Sparkle. You aren’t the first person to wake up crying this week – you probably won’t be the last. We’ve all got shit in our heads that we don’t want there,” he continued – without making eye contact with anyone in particular. “And if you try to apologize for it, you’re just going to piss me off – and okay, I might not have the same explosive rage problem as Brucie, but…”

It startled her into a laugh, and Catriona opened her eyes finally. “Dhearthair and deirfiur – Clint and Natasha – have a saying.”

“No apologizing for what was done to you,” Misty and Raj recited obediently.

“Yes. That.” Catriona flickered an amused and grateful glance at them. “It appears I needed to be reminded of it.” She started to extract herself from their embraces to find that Steve’s arms had tightened.

He sounded apologetic. “Sorry, Ginger. Not ready t’ let ya up yet. Need a few more minutes,” he admitted, tucking her in closer – pressing her head under his chin.

“Am I permitted to apologize for reminded you of your own losses?” Catriona murmured into his neck.

“Nope.” He ran a hand down her back. “Just let me hold on a bit longer, alright?” Steve glanced around – the only person who’d shifted away at all was Rhodey.

“I’m going to go start lunch,” Rhodey said. “I’ll have JARVIS buzz you when it’s ready, alright?”

Misty smiled. “You and Sensei are going to get along like a house of fire – his solution is always to feed people, too.”

“Mama Rhodes never met a condition she couldn’t improve with food,” Tony said, chuckling a little. “She’s been feeding me for… what… twenty years now, honeybear?”

Rhodey leaned down and brushed his lips over Tony’s forehead. “Twenty-seven this fall. Damn near two-thirds your life, marshmallow, and you know it.”

Steve doubted he’d ever understand the interpersonal relationships in this group.

~ * ~

As soon as the elevator doors shut, Rhodey’s expression sobered. “J, would you message Pepper and Happy, ask them to come back to the Tower for lunch? And when they get here – I’d like to talk to them alone.”

“As you wish, Colonel Rhodes.” Could AIs sound relieved? This one kind of did.

Rhodey pulled out Tony’s copy of the Rhodes family cookbook and flicked to the meatloaf page – identifiable by the smear of ketchup in the upper left-hand corner. (The fried chicken had mustard; the corn bread had coffee. Tony was a messy cook.) It didn’t surprise him to find things in essentially the same cabinets and drawers they’d have been in the Malibu house… Tony might pretend otherwise, but he was a creature of habit.

It was less than half an hour later when JARVIS chimed in that Pepper and Happy were on their way up in the elevator. Rhodey thanked him, but the bulk of his attention was on the series of meatloaves he was preparing. Mama’s recipe made two; JARVIS had recommended quadrupling it. Rather than try and find an enormous bowl, Rhodey was just making it four times and putting them into the oven as he finished them – a staggered completion time wouldn’t matter much at this volume. He was padding around the kitchen in sweatpants and sockfeet when the elevator opened. “Come in. Sit down.” He nodded towards the coffee mugs he’d set out at the counter across from where he was working – jade green for Pepper and bright yellow for Happy. 

Pepper sank down onto the stool, accepting the cup with a murmur of thanks. Unsurprisingly, Rhodey had sweetened it exactly how she preferred it – and based on Happy’s grin, his was perfect too. “It’s good to see you, Jim,” Pepper breathed. She’d ached for some kind of normalcy in the wake of the Battle and instead she had… 

“Usually I’d say it’s good to see you too, Pepper… but I’ve got to say, not real impressed with this visit so far,” Rhodey said. He kept his eyes on the ground hamburger he was mixing – by hand, as his Mama had taught him, even though there were more efficient ways to do it. (He’d tried using a mixer once – Tony bitched about it for a week, claiming he’d ruined the flavor.) “You left pretty abruptly this morning. Both of you,” he added, his eyes flicking to Happy. “Tony was… confused.”

Happy fidgeted under Rhodey’s gaze. For all that they were the same age – within a damned month of age – right now, Happy felt like a kid at the principal’s office. He’d left because Pepper was leaving – and he didn’t really think she should be going alone. Aside from security concerns, he knew she wasn’t exactly responding in her usual logical fashion… and Tony’d had other people around, including Rhodey himself. If Happy couldn’t trust Tony to be safe in Rhodey’s company, who could he?

“There was work to be done at the office,” Pepper said stiffly – defensively.

Rhodey lifted one eyebrow as he measured out the appropriate amount of dried basil. “Pepper. How long have we known each other?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “You’ve worked for Tony for fifteen years now, right?” She nodded jerkily. “Seen him in a lot of states. Seen a lot of shit – and I know the kind of shit that idiot can put a person through, Pepper.” Rhodey washed his hands again – they were going to be chapped by the time he was done – and started cutting up the onion and parsley for this batch. “What I don’t get is why seeing him happy has your panties in a wad.”

“That isn’t fair—” Happy began in automatic defense.

Pepper shook her head to silence him. Her jaw was tight, her eyes bright with tears she would not allow herself to shed. “I thought you’d see it,” she said finally. She’d forgotten how utterly, maddeningly patient Rhodey could be when he was interrogating someone. Usually it was Tony – this time, it was her. “Damn it, Jim – they’ve got him so wrapped up in this… this…” The manic fury could only be contained so long, and it burst forth in the form of a jade green coffee mug slammed down onto the marble counter top hard enough to shatter. “This fantasy! This isn’t his life, this isn’t our life! We don’t get family dinners and movie nights and a damned cuddle nest!” She was on her feet now, with no memory of standing. Happy was frozen on his stool, but Rhodey was meeting her eyes – his own were deep and, she thought, sad. “He is going to wake up from this fairy tale tomorrow or the next day or the next and just – they’ll be gone. Because that’s what he does. He loves and loves and loves until they can’t take it anymore, and they go! This isn’t a damned Disney movie, we don’t get an epilogue and there’s no happily ever after!”

The doors in the penthouse couldn’t slam, but that didn’t stop Pepper from expressing herself. Once the bedroom door had shut behind her, she threw her shoes at it – and then, for good measure, a glass vase from the side board.

Rhodey patted the meatloaf into the pans and washed his hands again before beginning to sweep up the shards of Pepper’s coffee mug and mop up the liquid. Happy was still sitting at the counter, his eyes on his own mug. “JARVIS,” Rhodey asked quietly. “Would you keep an eye on her? If she needs something… runs out of things to throw…”

“I will monitor Miss Potts, Colonel Rhodes.”

“Thanks, J.” Rhodey rinsed the dishcloth and draped it over the divided sink to dry before waving his hand in front of Happy’s eyes. “Earth to Hogan?”

“You heard it too, right?” Happy asked. “That wasn’t… I didn’t imagine that?”

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Rhodey righted the stool that Pepper had kicked over and sat down next to Happy. “I heard it, too.” He looked down into the dark liquid. “It sounds a hell of a lot like my best friend’s about to lose himself a girlfriend… and I hope like hell he isn’t also about to lose his CEO.”

Happy drew in a deep breath. Blew it out slowly. “Okay. This is not how I imagined this going down, Jim.”

“I know.” Rhodey’s reply was soft. “I’d kind of hoped she’d come around – see through the masks. How does she not…?”

Swiveling on his stool, Happy sought out Rhodey’s gaze. “You and me are two of the only people in the world that see through them. Director Carter does,” he added, because Tony’s godmother was a force of nature and he would respect her in all things.

“These people do, too,” Rhodey said quietly. “Hap. They were asleep on the floor in the workshop with the bots. Tony – the blonde gal was laying right against the reactor.” Happy blinked, leaning back on the stool. “Yeah. But what gets me – you heard him laugh this morning, right? Really laugh? He’s… he’s sleeping and he’s laughing and he’s sober and…”

“I know,” Happy replied. “I… I heard it.” He looked down into his coffee again. “Haven’t ever heard him laugh like that with anybody but you.”

“I have. A long time ago,” Rhodey added. “Hell, it’s probably been… we might still have been at MIT. Before the crash.” He gestured vaguely. “Before Obie and Iron Man and Whiplash and this latest bullshit. There was a time… you gotta believe me when I tell you that this Tony? The one I had stealing my bagel this morning?” Rhodey smiled a little. “He’s the real deal – the kid I met, the one in here.” He tapped a fist over his heart. “I don’t know if it’s the alien invasion or Agent Coulson or doing a damned Kamikaze-Hail-Mary flight through a portal to outer fucking space holding a nuke – and I don’t care. Something flicked the switch that opened up that mask, and I’ll be damned if I let anybody make him feel ashamed of that.” Rhodey’s eyes were fierce.

In the care and feeding of one Anthony Edward Stark, there was a singular final authority, in Happy’s rules of the universe: James Rhodes. So – despite not understanding, despite not really liking the sudden change, and definitely not liking how upset Miss Potts was – Happy nodded. “Whatever I can do to help, Colonel Rhodes.”

“When this goes pear-shaped – when Pepper leaves – ” it bit Happy a little to hear it put so plainly, but he couldn’t deny it either “ – go with her. She’ll need you.” Rhodey held up his hand at Happy’s immediate objection. “She’ll need you at Stark Industries, if she stays. I hope she does. And I’m not going anywhere,” he added. “The Air Force can kiss my ass. I’m due some damned leave and if I want to spend it making sure my best friend doesn’t self-destruct when his girlfriend breaks up with him, that’s what I’m going to do.”

As Rhodey returned to his meal preparation and Happy to his coffee, the bodyguard-chauffeur-buddy wondered how many times a day Rhodey had to remind himself that Tony was just his best friend.

~ * ~


	12. Chapter 12

When Rhodey put the last meatloaf in the oven, he’d reached a decision. “JARVIS… would you put me through to Tony?”

“What’s up, sourpatch?” Tony’s voice was relaxed, and it killed Rhodey that he was going to have to change that.

“Need you in the kitchen, sting ray. Just you – top secret Rhodes family recipe business,” he added, to ensure the genius came up alone.

Rhodey didn’t have to see Tony to know he was grinning as he answered, “I’ll be right up.”

Happy cleared his throat. “I’m just going to go – ” anywhere but here “ – wash the car.” He was relieved when Rhodey didn’t stop him. Rather than risk running into Tony, he took the stairs down a floor. “Let me know when Tony’s in the penthouse, JARVIS,” Happy ordered… then paused. “There’s no liquor in the Tower, is there?”

“There are no alcoholic beverages on the premises, Mister Hogan,” JARVIS assured him. Happy nodded once in acknowledgement before snagging the downward-moving elevator that had just deposited his boss upstairs.

Tony knew something was up the moment he stepped into the kitchen. Rhodey had his serious face on – and Happy’s cup was on the counter. Tony touched the yellow handle, raising an eyebrow at Rhodey. “This isn’t about a recipe, is it?” If Happy had been here, Pepper had been here – and if neither of them were here now… Tony sighed and sank onto a stool. “Okay. How bad is it?”

Rhodey poured coffee into Tony’s favorite mug – an oversized Air Force cup that Rhodey had bought him – and handed it to him, sitting down on the stool next to him. “We’re past ice cream sundae bad,” he said quietly. “We might be into pie bad. With any luck, it isn’t cheesecake bad.”

Scooting closer so that their knees touched, Tony took a long drink of coffee before he spoke. “Okay.” Ice cream sundae was the usual level of bad – garden variety. It meant an apology, usually a monetary cost or a gift, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. Pie was… He set the mug down on the counter and reached for Rhodey’s hands. “Pumpkin or pecan pie?”

Smoothing his thumbs over Tony’s callused knuckles, Rhodey considered. In twenty-seven years, they’d shared a lot of pie – a lot of crises. “You remember that strawberry rhubarb custard pie Mama makes? I think we’re there.”

Tony blanched. Mama Rhodes had made him that pie twice. Once, when he’d had his seventeen-year-old heart broken by Sunset Bain. Ten years later, she’d served him the same pie when Tiberius Stone did the same thing. But – and Tony clung to that – Rhodey didn’t think they were at cheesecake. That was good. Cheesecake was for losses beyond the romantic. His parents. Jarvis. Obie. Those were very bad events marked by very good cheesecake. (That dichotomy was never odd to Tony.) “How did I fuck up, and can I fix it?”

“You didn’t – damn it, Tony.” Rhodey leaned forward until he could rest his head on Tony’s shoulder. “You didn’t fuck anything up, Tony. The situation’s fucked up, but it’s not entirely on you.”

Tony didn’t believe that for a second, but he was willing to let it pass for now. “Give me a sitrep then, soldier – because the longer you drag this out, the worse I’m gonna assume it is.” He tipped his head so that it rested against Rhodey’s.

It was easier to speak with his head hidden against Tony. “Pepper’s not okay. I don’t think she’s been okay for a while, marshmallow. I called her and Happy here to talk about them running out on breakfast and – well. She shouted at me, retreated to the bedroom, and threw at least two things at the door.”

Slowly, Tony nodded. He freed one hand from Rhodey’s grasp to run it up and down the soldier’s back instead. “Is she leaving? J?”

“I do not know, Sir.”

“I don’t either,” Rhodey said softly. “But… it felt like it, sting ray. Felt like… felt like she’d hit her limit.”

“End of the line,” Tony murmured. “Okay.” He blew out a breath. “That’s… okay.” He was fiercely, desperately glad that Rhodey was here. He was always glad for his honeybear’s presence, but if Pepper was leaving… 

Rhodey slipped his arm around Tony’s waist. “What can I do for you, Tones? How can I help?”

Tony shook his head. “Nothing more than you’re already doing.” There was no pain in his tone, only a heavy resignation. “JARVIS, I’m guessing if she’s throwing things that she’s not ready to talk to me?”

“I would agree with that supposition, Sir.”

“Okay.” Tony stroked his hand down Rhodey’s back again, his touch firm and soothing. He kept his cheek pressed against the short dark hair, breathing in the familiar scent of his best friend. “Take care of my girl for me, will you J?” Tony swallowed. It might be the last time he could call Pepper that. He hoped, at the end of the day, he could still call her his friend, at least… but he wouldn’t be surprised if he couldn’t.

He’d known the first time he kissed Pepper Potts that this would happen. He’d shoved that certainty aside for the faintest glimmer of ‘maybe’ he’d seen in the future but – ultimately, Tony wasn’t surprised. He had never had a romantic partner as long as he’d had Pepper, and the few in his history that could be considered more than one-night stands or flings hadn’t ended amicably. Neither had a fair number of the flings, if he were honest – Christine Everhart might have been the last of the trash that Pepper had taken out for him, but she was by no means the first. 

She deserved better – always had. Instead of the wild ride with a playboy she’d expected, she got stuck with a neurotic alcoholic adrenaline junkie. Tony’s arms tightened around Rhodey as he contemplated what she must be thinking about. Feeling. He should have seen the signs in her… seen she was coming too close to the edge. He could see it now, with Rhodey’s words in his head… Pepper hadn’t been okay that first morning after the Battle, had she? 

“Was it the cosleeping, you think?” Tony asked both Rhodey and JARVIS. “The last straw?”

When Rhodey didn’t answer, JARVIS made the small mechanical chime that was his equivalent of clearing his throat. “When Miss Potts arrived at the Tower, she seemed… distressed… to find you in the workshop with Captain Rogers, Lady Catriona, and – ”

“Find me in the shop?” Tony sat up sharply, almost dislodging Rhodey from his shoulder but steadying him automatically. “When was this?”

“Miss Potts arrived at the Tower at 2:06 on the morning of Saturday, May 5, 2012.”

“And did what?” Tony blurted. “I didn’t see her until breakfast!”

JARVIS paused, and answered a little warily. “Shall I replay the footage of Miss Potts’ arrival, or provide a summary of the approximately seven hours she spent in the Tower prior to your knowledge?”

“Don’t sass me, JARVIS,” Tony snapped.

Rhodey sat up then, so that he could meet Tony’s eyes. “Don’t take it out on him, Tones. JARVIS?”

“Miss Potts rode the elevator down to the shop, stood observing the sleepers for approximately a quarter of a hour, then retired to the penthouse bedroom.”

Tony blew out a breath. “Okay.” Sucked in another breath, this one deeper. Calmer. “Sorry, J. Rhodey’s right, I shouldn’t take it out on you.” That he was apologizing to an AI never seemed odd to Tony – his AIs were people, in Tony’s mind. 

“Apology accepted, Sir.”

Rhodey met Tony’s eyes. “I think the cosleeping probably is part of it, sting ray.” He wouldn’t lie to Tony – never lied to his marshmallow. “You have to imagine how it looked like to her, Tones.”

“Like I was stepping out on her, as Steve would say?” Tony said archly, raising one eyebrow.

“No.” Rhodey caught his hands again. “Hell, it threw me a little, too – but not in a bad way.” His thumbs rubbed soothing circles on the backs of Tony’s hands. “You looked so relaxed there in bed, and I wasn’t expecting that. Pepper got here what, twelve hours after the Battle? Less?” Rhodey couldn’t fight a small shudder. “I happen to remember the state you were in twelve hours after you fought Vanko – and I remember you after the Iron Monger, too.” By unspoken agreement, Rhodey never used Obadiah Stane’s name anymore if he could avoid it. “I bet she walked in here thinking she’d have to talk you down from rebuilding DUM-E or rewriting JARVIS’s code or retrofitting the roadster to add jet propulsion—” 

“That was one time!” Tony interrupted. “And I was drunk for all those, so… oh.” His eyes closed. He couldn’t be angry that Pepper had assumed he’d fall off the wagon. Hadn’t he wanted to? But instead, he’d taken care of his family and gotten his ass to a meeting. He’d done the damned responsible, mature thing and… and that had apparently been the last straw for his girlfriend. “Okay,” he repeated. “We’ll just – we’ll have lunch, and when Pep’s ready to talk, I’ll… talk.”

“Okay,” Rhodey echoed. The first meatloaf would be coming out soon, anyway. “You want green beans and baked potatoes for sides, martini?”

No – he wanted the serenity he’d had an hour ago, Tony decided… but potatoes would help. “Yeah. That works.” He was quiet as he helped Rhodey prepare the rest of lunch. “I was never good enough for her,” Tony said softly.

“If she said – ”

“I don’t mean that she belittled me, honeybear.” Tony cut him off before Rhodey could go on his familiar rant about people not respecting Tony. He’d heard it all before, and wasn’t in the mood to argue about it now. “I mean… she deserves better.” And before Rhodey’s next prerecorded rant could start, Tony sighed. “Better for her doesn’t mean better than me, Rhodey. I get that.”

It was Rhodey’s turn to raise an eyebrow, his lips twisting a little in amusement. “Is that wisdom I hear, marshmallow? You maturing in your old age?”

Tony elbowed him with a soft chuckle. “You’re older than me, sour patch.” He smiled, just a little. “Does it count as wisdom if I’m repeating someone else’s words?”

“Yes.” Rhodey flicked a burner on and began melting butter to saute the green beans. “Where’d that particular nugget come from?”

“The rooms,” Tony answered. When Rhodey continued to stare at him, he shrugged one shoulder. “Heard it at an AA meeting. Seemed apt. Turns out that shit really does stick around in your head until you need it.”

~ * ~

JARVIS was as torn as an AI could be – and as a Stark AI, he had a fairly well-developed self-doubt circuit.

He had been instructed by Colonel Rhodes and by Sir to watch over Miss Potts, and see to her needs. These needs were manifestly not being met, as evidenced by her continued sobbing. JARVIS preferred the projectiles against the wall to the sobbing. He had protocols for shards of glass and porcelain. He did not have protocols for tears.

Upon consultation within his databases, JARVIS came to believe this was ‘heartbreak’, likely due to the anticipated end of a romantic relationship. His sources indicated that the likeliest remedy for continued tears was the application of alcoholic beverages, high-caloric-index frozen dairy concoctions, and the company of a trusted female who had experienced a similar condition.

He would, under no circumstances, be ordering alcoholic beverages for the Tower. There was sufficient quantity of Miss Potts’ preferred ice cream – salted caramel – in the Tower, including some in the small freezer unit within the penthouse bedroom. (Sir had insisted on including a full bar in both living room and bedroom. Both were stocked with colored liquid at his command. It had been a spirited argument between Sir and Miss Potts – Sir insisted it was ‘for appearances’ and Miss Potts had argued that as no one else was going to be in the bedroom, who was he putting ‘appearances’ for. Ultimately, Sir had triumphed.) 

Unfortunately, the company of a trusted female of similar experience was not something that JARVIS could provide himself. Though his databases suggested that Agent Romanoff was a likely candidate for that role, Agent Romanoff was not in residence in the Tower at this time. He scanned the list of female residents. Lady Catriona had not indicated any experience with romantic engagements. Miss Summers was in a committed relationship with a woman – he had no knowledge of her romantic history with males, aside from that which evidently resulted in her current pregnancy. JARVIS considered the two remaining – Miss Lewis, and Doctor Foster. He had no indication that Miss Lewis had any experience with a similar condition, either.

But Doctor Foster was in a relationship with a man – Doctor Selvig – and had evidently been previously in a relationship with a different man – Prince Thor. 

Selection made, JARVIS chimed into the laboratory where Doctors Foster and Selvig were working. “Doctor Foster, Miss Potts requires your assistance in the penthouse.”

Three floors down, Jane’s head came up from her workstation. She wasn’t used to the ever-present AI yet, although Erik and Darcy seemed to be. “Okay.” She ran her hands through her hair, trying to remember if she’d even met Pepper Potts individually yet – but she knew who buttered her bread. Tony Stark was bankrolling her research, and Pepper Potts was his right hand and most of his brain. “Erik, you take over here?”

“Certainly, Janey.” Erik snagged her around the waist and kissed her – a quick, sweet brush of his lips against hers that was more about affection than lust.

Darcy waved her hand. “Go on, go see the other Boss Lady, Boss Lady. But I’m not kissing you for it.”

“Liar.” Jane dropped a kiss on Darcy’s cheek as she walked by, amused to hear Darcy blow a resounding smooch into the air behind her. “Where am I going, JARVIS?” She was directed to a private elevator, one she hadn’t taken before. It opened not in the common area of the penthouse outside the kitchen, but into an alcove of the bedroom itself.

Her mind was full of equations and deductions and data – but all of that fell to the wayside as she surveyed the room. She heard the sobs before she located their cause – Pepper Potts, collapsed onto the massive mattress, what had to be a damned expensive business suit crumpled beneath her and her face a mass of tears and snot. The wall opposite the windows was littered with broken items… Jane might be a scientist, but she was also a woman. “Hey,” she said softly, not wanting to startle the woman. “JARVIS said you needed me.”

Pepper’s eyes opened and she surveyed the intruder, sniffling in a way she probably intended to be defensive and instead rendered her more pathetic. “JARVIS is an interfering busybody.” She paused. “Thanks.”

“I am ever at your service, Miss Potts. Doctor Foster, there is ice cream in the freezer beneath the bar and appropriate serving dishes above it.”

Jane nodded once, fetching the quart of salted caramel and two spoons before returning to the side of the bed and, after a quick internal debate, sitting down on the edge. “So.” She handed Pepper a spoon and cracked the lid on the ice cream. “Want to tell me about it? Normally this is a tequila-and-rooftop conversation between me and Darce, but…” she gestured. “Your nosy computer said you ‘required assistance’ so… you’re here, I’m here.” She stabbed a spoon of her own into the quart. “Talk.”

Pepper sniffled again and took a spoonful of ice cream. “No tequila,” she said. “Tony can’t…” her face crumpled again.

“Okay. No tequila,” Jane said easily. She scooted a little closer. “This is a man problem, isn’t it? What’s he done?” That was the wrong question, because it just made Pepper cry harder. “Okay, nosy computer. JARVIS. You want to fill me in, make yourself useful?”

“I believe Miss Potts is struggling with Sir’s emotional reaction to the Battle, and to his companions.”

Jane’s eyes sharpened. “He’s not – he didn’t cheat on you, did he?”

“No,” Pepper shook her head, almost violently. “No, no, he wouldn’t. I know he wouldn’t.”

“Okay.” Jane nudged the ice cream container until Pepper continued to eat. “Is it because you haven’t had enough alone time? I mean – he’s been pretty… um… distracted?”

“We haven’t had any!” Pepper wailed. “Not – not like that. A couple kisses, a hug or two. He hasn’t…” She wiped irritatedly at her face. “This isn’t about sex.” 

“But it would be easier if it was?” Jane guessed, watching Pepper closely. “Because then at least you’d understand?”

Pepper nodded miserably. “That’s the thing really, I guess. I don’t understand any of this. Any of you – no offense, Doctor Foster – ”

“I’m pretty sure when we’re sharing ice cream and confessions, Miss Potts, you can call me Jane.” The petite astrophysicist offered her a small smile.

“Call me Pepper, then. I don’t understand Tony bringing everyone here, keeping… keeping everyone here.” She sat up, pulled her long legs up and wrapped her arms around them. “It’s – it seems so out of character but – I’m the only one who seems to think so.”

Jane nodded slowly. “Okay. Out of character for your boyfriend, or for Doctor Stark, CTO of Stark Industries?” Pepper blinked. “I mean, it doesn’t seem out of character for a man you care for to care about others – it would seem weird if an executive of a massive corporation randomly expressed humanity. No offense.”

“But… I…” Pepper started to protest, her spoon held loosely in her hand as she blinked. “I wasn’t – thinking of him like – ”

“Because it looked like he was cool with it,” Jane added, shrugging. “When we got here, I mean. He seemed… I mean, I’ve never met him before, right? Just read about him in journals and tabloids. I don’t know who the hell they were writing about, but it wasn’t the guy that met us in the kitchen.” She didn’t think the man in the tabloids would have comforted a woman in the middle of an anxiety attack – hell, she didn’t think that man would have blanket assured her research funding, either.

Pepper abandoned her spoon to wrap both arms around her legs, pressing her cheek into her knee and thinking – hard. 

Maybe she wasn’t thinking of Tony as the CTO of Stark Industries.

But she wasn’t really thinking of him in terms of the man currently inhabiting the name, either.

She’d been holding him a standard that he no longer met. She had arrived at the Tower expecting not the Tony Stark of today, but the one he’d been a year ago. Two years ago. Five years ago.

Not her boyfriend. Her boss.

She hadn’t arrived to hold her boyfriend – she’d come to manage her boss.

“When did I fall out of love with him?” Pepper asked aloud, meeting Jane’s eyes. “I – I don’t – I didn’t – ”

“I have no doubt that you love Sir,” JARVIS interrupted.

Jane glanced up at the ceiling in moderate reproach. “Loving him and being in love with him aren’t the same thing, are they?” Jane plucked the spoon out of the carton, loaded it with ice cream, and held it up to Pepper’s lips. “Eat. I don’t have booze so I have to use sugar, but the ingestion of calories during the spilling of secrets is Girl Code 101, as per Darcy.” That got a shaky laugh out of Pepper. “There you go.” Jane gave up on propriety and scooted close enough to wrap her arms around the CEO of Stark Industries, who leaned into the embrace as easily as Darcy would. (She wondered how long it had been since anyone hugged Pepper. Her boyfriend had apparently once or twice in the past couple of days, but given how easily Pepper relaxed into Jane’s hold, it hadn’t been enough.) 

Pepper reclaimed the spoon from Jane and stretched to pull the carton closer. “I think… he doesn’t… I’m not…”

“I know you’ve got a fancy degree to your name, too. I bet you can string whole sentences together,” Jane challenged with an upraised eyebrow and a squeeze of her arms.

Snorting, Pepper spooned up more caramel. “Nobody has ever rendered me less articulate than Tony.” She sighed. “I guess I need to talk to him, don’t I?”

“Evidence points to yes,” Jane said drily, gesturing towards the shattered remains of what she guessed was a pretty expensive vase.

“JARVIS, is he alone?”

“Sir is currently eating lunch with the other Tower residents. Shall I send him to you after he has finished eating, Miss Potts?”

Pepper sighed and looked at the carton of ice cream. “Let me know when he’s done and then… yeah. Probably. There’s no sense in holding back, is there? Jim will have talked to him… right?”

“Colonel Rhodes and Sir did have a discussion in the kitchen while preparing lunch, Miss Potts.”

Jane hugged Pepper tighter against her. “Eat your ice cream. When they’re all done with lunch and you’re ready, I’ll disappear the same way I came in, and I won’t say anything.” She tilted her head to rest against Pepper’s. “Falling out of love isn’t a crime, Pepper. I’ve done it. And… for what it’s worth… I think you’re going to handle it a lot better than I did.”

~ * ~


	13. Chapter 13

She had evaluated her options carefully and laid out a plan – but when an opportunity dropped into her lap, Misty took it. Rhodey and Tony were upstairs making lunch. Thor and CJ were on a break with Beta team and didn’t require her guidance for the moment.

That meant the workshop was sparsely populated – herself, Catriona, Raj, Steve, and her target – Bruce.

Misty cleared her throat. The three male sets of eyes flew to her – Catriona was asleep against her, the red head pillowed on her thigh. “Bruce,” she began sweetly. She saw Raj start to straighten up from where he’d crouched over a StarkPad. “I’d like to have a little chat about how comfortable you and CJ were on the futon this morning.”

Raj had served under Misty Summers for a year and a half – and aside from that, he was a smart man. It took him all of one breath to decide this was not a conversation he wanted to be in the vicinity of. It wasn’t that he thought Misty might trigger the Hulk – that never occurred to him. No… this was Misty’s ass-kicking tone. That false sweetness had lured plenty of agents and perps, and Raj sure as hell wasn’t going to sign up for that kind of chat. “Hey, Steve!” Raj said with forced cheer. “Come help me unload the boxes from my car and haul them up to the residential floors.”

Steve glanced at Misty’s placid smile and swallowed. “Yeah, sure, Raj.” Steve hurried to follow the medic. “Happy to help.”

Bruce frowned at the elevator door as it closed behind them, thinking vaguely of traitors. “Very subtle, Misty.”

“Wasn’t going for subtle.” She petted Catriona’s curls, making sure the druid was sleeping restfully. “I need you to understand how precious his trust is, Bruce.”

“I can guess.”

Misty fixed her eyes on him and didn’t let up. “Guessing isn’t good enough. There are maybe five people on this planet that the kid curls up with like that.” She looked down at Catriona. “He’s done it with me,” she said quietly. “I know he has with Phil. I’d really doubt if there’s anyone else.”

Bruce blinked. He’d known CJ was reticent and touch-shy, but – this was bigger. “I have no intention of abusing his trust, Misty.”

“Abuse is exactly the word in question, Robert Bruce Banner.”

“How did you know my—”

Misty’s grin grew sharp – feral. “I could lie and say I Googled it, but the truth is a lot scarier.” For all the ferocity of her expression, her hand on Catriona was gentle. “I had Angie do some research.”

He didn’t care for that idea, and it showed in his face. “Even if I were inclined to pursue anybody – it wouldn’t be CJ. He isn’t my type.”

“I don’t really care,” Misty said, still smiling. “I know he’s nothing like Doctor Elizabeth Ross, and he’s nothing like Doctor Darius King. That doesn’t mean you might not be harboring… notions.”

It was bad enough that she’d had Angie look up his full name. Bruce could accept that – the way she’d said it sounded very much like a mother chiding a child, and he supposed a full name was better for that. The mention of his exes felt like hitting below the belt, though, particularly since he had no romantic or sexual attraction towards CJ at all. There was the added fact that his relationship with Darius had been extremely quiet – Culver University hadn’t been particularly accepting of same-sex relationships, and even less about faculty dating. To have found that out meant Angie had likely dug fairly deep – and he wondered how much history they’d looked into. His parents? He liked that idea even less.

“I haven’t dated anyone since the accident,” Bruce said finally, having borne nearly two minutes of silence under her gaze. “I don’t intend to start now.”

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Bruce.” Misty’s hand stilled in Catriona’s hair. “I want your word that you won’t hurt CJ.”

“Of course I won’t hurt – is this seriously a shovel talk?” Bruce barked out a laugh. For a supposedly observant woman, she was misreading the hell out of this situation. He supposed he could chalk it up to her history, and presumably CJ’s, but that didn’t lessen the small knot of resentment that was forming at her accusation. “Misty, I won’t – how do you intend to follow through with that? You really think you could hurt the Hulk?”

Piercing eyes met his – and beneath her expression he saw warring desires: amusement at his tone, and an overwhelming need to be sure he understood. “Oh, I won’t need to harm him, or you.” Her voice had dropped to a silky purr, reminding Bruce of a snake’s rattle. “I know JARVIS copied over all of SHIELD files from the helicarrier. Have him pull up reports from the Great Prank War of 2011.”

Bruce leveled a sardonic gaze on her. “Really? You’re threatening me with pranks?” It was innovative, he had to give her that. Even as he resented the threat, he had to appreciate the novel approach.

“Oh, yes.” Any Scooby – and most SHIELD agents – would recognize that low purr as Misty’s deadliest tone. “If you hurt my little brother – if you make him feel unsafe or break his trust – you’ll never drink another cup of tea or coffee without wondering if the caf and decaf have been swapped. You’ll never shower without doubting whether your shampoo will change your hair color. You’ll never know when all the furniture in your lab might mysteriously move an inch to the left.” She smiled brightly. “And that is nothing – absolutely nothing – compared to the creativity that would be unleased upon you if Natasha and Clint discovered what you’d done. Phil and I, we’re more direct. But Nat… she could wait weeks. Months.”

He was not a strategist like Steve. He wasn’t a futurist like Tony.

But Bruce was not a stupid man.

“Yes ma’am,” he said, with as much respect as he could muster – and what little dignity he could scrape up. “I’ll be careful with him.”

Her answering smile was bright. “Good! See that you are.” Then Misty turned her attention back to the StarkPad in her hand and comm unit in her ear. “Beta team – ready to resume operations?”

Bruce watched her for a moment longer before returning to his own StarkPad. He was too experienced a doctor not to recognize that at least part of Misty’s conduct was likely driven by hormones – and even as he thought it, he knew damned well better than to say it out loud. If Misty didn’t skewer him for it, he suspect Catriona would. Still, pregnancy had likely only accentuated Misty’s protective nature, and it had taken full root over her concern for CJ. 

That didn’t make her insinuation that Bruce might push CJ’s boundaries any easier to swallow. He’d been the one holding back on comforting the young man – every touch, Bruce held steady and waited for CJ to indicate what he needed. But then, Misty hadn’t seen that, had she… she’d only seen CJ curled up at his side, not the blond’s struggle for emotional control. 

He would try to be more circumspect in touching CJ then, at least in front of Misty – but not for his own sake, or the sharpshooter’s. Bruce had no desire to cause conflict within this small community they were building – no wish to come between Misty and CJ. He might not like Misty’s apprehension, but he couldn’t fault her for it – and she was walking her own emotional tightrope. That was fine. He could balance what CJ needed from him with what Misty needed not to see – even if a small portion of him mourned having one more person assume the worst of him.

~ * ~

The deaf, dumb, and blind kid from The Who’s ‘Pinball Wizard’ would have noticed the tension at the lunch table, Raj reflected to himself.

Maybe it was his imagination. Perhaps it was perfectly normal that the scientist wrangler – Darcy, he thought – didn’t stay for lunch but took three people’s worth of provisions back to the lab with her. It could be entirely ordinary for Bruce to seat himself on the opposite end of the table from Misty, despite Catriona patting the seat next to her in invitation. It may well be typical for Steve to pick at his food until Misty finally murmured something to him about his metabolism. Possibly it was run-of-the-mill for Rhodey to continually be glancing at Tony’s expression, forgetting his own meatloaf in the process.

And speaking of expressions, well – Raj figured it might be commonplace for Tony to look that withdrawn, but it was sure as hell unexpected by him.

Fucking hell, he missed the triad. Right now, he needed Clint’s sense of humor, Natasha’s dry wit, and Phil’s steady guidance. He missed the other Scoobies too – Chuck’s inability to keep his foot out of his mouth, Angie’s quiet snark, Lance’s generally astute observations, Al’s calm reserve, and even Sam’s biting comments.

But they weren’t here, and Raj had to deal instead with this whole new world of personalities. (A part of him struggled very hard against making an Aladdin reference, even in his head.) Flopping down into the chair next to Catriona, Raj sampled the meatloaf and let out a low whistle. “Hot damn. I can see why you use it to make sure Tony eats.”

Rhodey offered him a small smile. “Thanks. It’s my Mama’s recipe. I made extra – or tried to – to make sandwiches for later… although I get the feeling leftovers aren’t really a thing with this crew.”

“We ever have leftovers survive to the next meal at the dojo?” Raj asked Misty conversationally. “I mean, mine sometimes manage to make it home to my fridge, but I’ve never had them last past breakfast the next day.”

Misty smiled, leaning around Catriona to brush her hand over Raj’s. Her eyes slid to Tony, one eyebrow raised in concern. She knew that his quietude wasn’t normal – but she wasn’t sure what the cause was, yet. “We mean it as one hell of a compliment that your meatloaf – and last night’s fried chicken – make us think of Sensei’s cooking.”

Beneath the table, Tony leaned his leg against Rhodey’s. If he’d thought it would have escaped notice, he’d have reached for his best friend’s hand, too – but there was no chance that it would be unremarked. “I expect Agent has a broader range than I do. I’m pretty much limited to what Roberta – Mama Rhodes – taught me, with the addition of a couple of ways to make eggs.” He tipped his head towards Rhodey. “We need to call her this afternoon, you know. Let her know you made it back safe.”

“And that you did,” Rhodey added, with the particular brand of gentleness he reserved for Tony. “I’m surprised she hasn’t called you.”

“Missus Rhodes called my emergency number,” JARVIS answered, “when footage of the portal was shown on ZNN. I have, at her request and with Sir’s previous approval, been giving her updates as to Sir’s current state of health.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up. “J-man, that’s above and beyond.”

“She wished not to burden you with her worry, and you had previously authorized me to share this information with her, Sir – am I in error?”

“Nope.” Tipping his head up towards a ceiling sensor, Tony smiled. “Nope, you did exactly right. Thanks.” He leaned over to bump his shoulder against Rhodey’s. “So maybe I haven’t managed to learn how to be thoughtful myself, but at least JARVIS has learned it for me?”

“You’re plenty thoughtful,” Misty argued, at the same time that Rhodey shot back, “You never needed to learn that, Tony.” He rolled his eyes at both of them – a shadow of his usual snark – and resumed eating lunch.

Misty traded a long glance with Rhodey before deciding that whatever was bothering Tony was clearly safer in the Colonel’s hands than her own. He had the experience to deal with it – she did not. That left her free instead to lean over and add another wedge of meatloaf to Steve’s plate. “Eat,” she said firmly.

“Doll,” Steve sighed.

“Nope. No arguing. I’ve seen the damned math, Steve – maybe you aren’t off throwing around steel beams with CJ and Thor, but you haven’t been idle here either.” She fixed him with a stern stare.

Raj shot her a look. “Back off, Buff,” he said in a low voice. “He isn’t a child, and he isn’t Angie. He’ll eat if he’s hungry.”

“No, she’s right.” Steve held up a hand to prevent either of them from responding, fearing an actual argument breaking out. “If I clear my plate, will you take a nap this afternoon?” he bargained with the blonde squad leader.

“I don’t need a nap,” Misty shot back.

“Right.” Steve nodded earnestly, his eyes locking with hers. “You’re just fixin’ to start a fight with somebody for the helluva it, yeah? You need a nap, doll,” he repeated, this time much gentler. “And I figure you and I can lay down with Ginger and we can all get some rest, yeah?” There went the wide eyes – Rhodey was kind of amused that they had the same effect on Misty that they’d had on him. “Iffin’ I can’t fall asleep I’ll read one of the books on that list you gave me, but… please?”

Misty slumped against Catriona, huffing in frustration. “Damn it, Steve,” she grumbled. “Don’t use those fucking eyes on me. How the hell did Bu – did anybody ever resist those? Fine. Finish your lunch and I’ll take a damned nap.” And she definitely was not fighting a yawn at the mere mention of a nap. “I need somebody to take over the comms for Beta team.”

“I’ll take it,” Raj offered immediately. “They mostly need directions and CJ needs the occasional reassurance, right? I can do that.”

“I don’t know if he really needs them more than I need to give them,” Misty sighed. “But yeah. Today’s been pretty light, and Dorsey’s a good leader.” 

“You mind if I do that from the shop?” Raj asked, glancing at Tony. “Or… is that where you’ll be, Doctor Banner?”

“Bruce, and as long as Tony’s fine with it – yeah, I like the group mind thing.” The rumpled scientist offered Raj an almost shy smile. “You can always mute the comms if you’ve got something to add to his project or mine… I’d welcome the input.”

Tony let out a long, dramatic sigh of contentment. “So many big beautiful brains, honeybear,” he told Rhodey, one hand coming up to his forehead, tipped backward in a dramatic swoon.

Years – decades – of exposure to Tony Stark meant that Rhodey fully understood the undercurrent in Tony’s dramatics… he was putting up his masks, obfuscating his genuine feelings with manufactured ones, amped up to eleven in an attempt to disguise himself. It was a familiar gambit, but not one Rhodey wanted to see repeated. Still… he could give Tony time. His best friend was going to have one hell of an afternoon, and if mugging for an audience made it easier, Rhodey could play along. “How ever will you contain yourself,” Rhodey said drily. “I know how you feel about those big beautiful brains, sting ray.”

“Magical,” Tony agreed solemnly, his eyes twinkling – but his leg beneath the table was tapping a nervous staccato. Rhodey slid his hand onto Tony’s knee and left it there.

Once the food was eaten, Steve gathered up both Misty and Catriona and headed for the nest. Bruce and Raj started to depart for the workshop. Rhodey caught Bruce’s shoulder. “Could I get you to do me a favor before you go down?”

“Probably,” Bruce said easily.

Rhodey released him to put together a plate of leftovers. “Take this down to Happy in the garage?”

Bruce agreed readily – but he had to wonder… if Happy was in the garage, then he and Pepper were back from Stark Industries – so where was Pepper?

~ * ~

“Would you like me to inform Miss Potts that you are free, Sir?”

Tony set the last of the dirty dishes in the sink and shook his head. He knew it was just a delaying tactic, helping Rhodey clear the table – but at least the threat of being drafted had gotten the rest of the Tower residents to return to their tasks. That, and the suggestion that he and Rhodey would be calling Mama Rhodes now. “No, J. Is she in the bedroom?”

“She is, Sir.”

“Alright.” Tony pulled away to go there and Rhodey caught his arm. “What?”

Heedless of his damp hands – Rhodey had already started to wash – he pulled Tony into a tight hug. “You know I’m gonna be right here, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”

Tony burrowed into his arms, soaking in the unique smell of him, the familiar comfort of his strong arms. “I know.” For however long the Air Force could spare him, at least – and Tony intended to savor every moment of it. “I’ll be okay, honeybear. It sucks, but – I’ll be okay.” Reluctantly, Rhodey released him and Tony offered him a tight smile before stepping away, towards the bedroom door.

The layout of the penthouse meant it was possible for Tony to get a last look at Rhodey as he knocked on the bedroom door. (It also meant Rhodey would probably be able to hear their discussion, if Tony left the door open – he decided to play it by ear.) When Pepper didn’t open the door, Tony pushed it open an inch. “Can I come in?”

“It’s your bedroom.”

Tony pushed it open the rest of the way. “It kind of isn’t. It’s yours, right now.” Inside, he could see suitcases open on the bed, with clothing and toiletries haphazardly thrown into them. “Kind of looks like it won’t be yours much longer, huh?” He shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning up against the wall.

Pepper looked up from her packing. It hadn’t been long enough for the ravages of weeping to have been erased from her face, though she’d wiped down with a cold cloth once Jane had left. She knew she was a splotchy, puffy mess. “Are you going to stop me?”

“No.” Tony wasn’t sure about the protocol here – could he still offer her comfort? He’d never had an ex he still wanted to comfort – he had no idea if it was allowed.

“Why not?” Pepper didn’t look at him again – couldn’t. 

“I have never stopped you from making the choices you had to, Pep,” Tony said quietly. “I’ve never held you back from what you needed. I haven’t always understood what that was, but once I did…”

Her chin trembled and she ignored it, focusing on folding six pairs of socks with intense precision. “And this is what I need?”

“Isn’t it?” He approached then, taking a sweater from the pile of clothes and folding it neatly, in the way he knew she preferred – not flat as it would be in her closet, but folded narrowly and rolled to take up less space in her suitcase.

That small kindness – that he even noticed how she folded her damned sweaters – almost broke Pepper’s frail composure. “I think it is.” She moved from socks to lingerie, carefully packing away silk and lace pieces that he’d bought her. “I’m sorry.” Tears that she’d tried to suppress started falling, wetting the expensive fabric.

“Don’t be sorry, Pep.” Deciding he didn’t give a damn about proper ex protocol, Tony rounded the bed until he could stand next to her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. “It’s okay. I get it. I’m a bastard who doesn’t deserve you. I never did.”

His arms were warm and safe, Pepper thought wildly – why couldn’t they feel alien? Why did this have to be so hard? Instead, here he was comforting her when she was the one breaking up with him? Why did he have to hold her like a lover now?

Except… it wasn’t as a lover, was it?

As she cried into his shoulder, Pepper realized something – again. It felt like she’d spent all of today having these realizations, and she wasn’t sure if this one made it better or worse. Tony was holding her in the same way he’d held Catriona over breakfast, the same way he’d held Misty after her panic attack. There was love there, Pepper thought – whether Tony would admit to loving either the blonde or petite redhead was another matter – but it was distinctly different from the embrace she’d have expected from a lover… from her boyfriend.

“Were you ever really in love with me?” Pepper asked softly. “Or did you think it was what I needed?”

Tony pulled back enough to make eye contact, shocked. “Of course I love you, Pepper. That’s – of course I love you.” His arms tightened. “Jesus. You can doubt a hell of a lot of things about me and I get it, but don’t doubt that.”

“Not – not what I meant,” Pepper said, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. “I know you love me. I love you too. But were we ever in love?”

He was quiet a long moment. “I’m not sure I know the difference, Pep.”

Hot tears spilled out, wetting the fabric beneath her cheek. She wasn’t sure he knew either – shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d known how few real relationships he’d had – Sunset before they met, and Ty not long after she’d started working for him. Given how brutal the break-up with Tiberius Stone had been, Pepper shouldn’t have been surprised that Tony’s understanding of emotions was a little different… but it still broke her heart.

Tony eased her down to sit on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair out of her face. “I wanted you,” Tony tried to reassure her. “It’s not like it was – not like this whole thing was just for your benefit, Pep. I wanted to make you happy, and I thought we could be happy together.”

“Except I don’t make you happy,” Pepper said quietly. “I keep you on track, and I keep you on your toes, but—”

“Pepper.” Tony caught her hands in his and squeezed them. “It’s okay. I’m not angry that you have to… that this has to end. I’m not what you need anymore. That’s okay.”

Need was the operative word for him, wasn’t it? Pepper thought, not for the first time. She had to wonder when that had changed – when the whims and desires of a pampered playboy had started to come second to what other people in his life needed. She didn’t think it was just the past few days, either – though that was certainly the most dramatic example of it. No, this change was older than that. Months… maybe a year. “I never would have thought you’d take this more calmly than me,” she tried to joke.

“You know… me and the Autobots,” he said, stroking tears away with his thumb. “More than meets the eye.”

That brought more tears, though Pepper was trying to contain them. “I’ll – I’ll have my stuff out of here today and then… I think I’ll fly back to California and… and I can start packing at the Malibu house.”

“You might as well stay there,” Tony said, his thumb still stroking her cheek. “It’s close to SILA,” he said, naming the Stark Industries LA building, “and there’s room for you and Happy.”

“You don’t… want me to step down as CEO?”

Tony blinked once. “Fuck, no. Then I’d have to do it again.”

She laughed wetly, as he’d hoped, and leaned forward to press her forehead against his. “It’s your company, Tony.”

“You run it better than I ever did,” Tony admitted quietly. “I never wanted to be the CEO, Pep. I’m not a bureaucrat, administrator, or politician at heart – I’m an engineer. Being your chief technology officer and head of research and development is everything I wanted – and it’s what I’m good at.” He smiled a little, though he wasn’t sure she could see his expression. “You’re a damned fine CEO, Miss Potts. I know it was a rocky start, and that half the time the Board and VPs don’t take you seriously but – Stark Industries couldn’t be in better hands.” He felt her shift uncomfortably at the open praise, so he redirected the conversation. “Stay at the Malibu house. It’s the best home base for running SILA – that’s why I bought it.”

“I don’t want to put you out of your home, Tony.”

“It’s going to be awhile before I’m back to LA for anything longer than a couple of days,” Tony guessed. “And I can bunk in one of the guest suites. It’s not like there’s a bad room in the place.” 

“But – ”

“I already brought the bots here, and you know that means I’m gonna stay,” Tony pointed out. “New York needs me and… I think the Avengers do too.”

“They’re more than just your teammates, aren’t they?” she asked quietly.

Tony searched her face for any signs of accusation – of any hint that she thought he’d been unfaithful. There was no censure there, so he answered as honestly as he could. “They’re more. I don’t – I don’t really understand exactly, but they feel…” Tony trailed off. “Like Edwin and Ana Jarvis, and Aunt Peggy. Like Mama Rhodes.”

“Like family,” Pepper supplied. It didn’t surprise her, really – not after the past couple of days. “And I’m one of them, aren’t I? You look at me like… you have this fondness in your eyes, but it’s not…”

“I do love you,” Tony said softly. “But I don’t think it’s the fiery kind you deserve. Or want.”

Pepper nodded slowly, lifting her hand to cup his around her cheek. They were silent for a moment. “When you were flying into that portal,” she asked finally, “and you thought it was the end. Why call me?”

He thought about lying – it was his instinctive reaction – but after a deep breath, Tony decided on honesty. “I didn’t. JARVIS – suggested it. He put the call through.”

She nodded again, fresh tears slicking his hand. “If you were up there again tomorrow – who would you call?”

“Pep—”

“Because that’s the person you love the most, Tony, and it isn’t me.” She closed her blue eyes and swallowed. She had her own suspicions as to who that call would go to, but she knew it would never have been her. “It never has been, and that’s… it’s okay.” Rising, she released his hands and turned to zip her suitcases shut. “It’s okay if I take Happy?”

Nonplussed at her change in tone – she’d gone distinctly business-like – Tony nodded. “I’d like it if you did. I mean, if you don’t want him along—” 

“It’s fine.” She smiled a little. “You’ve got other people here to drive you around – and I bet Captain Rogers would box with you.”

“Steve would lay me out like a pancake,” Tony said ruefully. He stood beside her, helping her roll her suitcases to the private elevator tucked in the rear. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked finally.

“I’m always okay,” she assured him, touching his hand briefly. “And I’ve got Happy, so… so I think I’ll just go.” She looked down at the suitcases, then at the elevator door that JARVIS held open for her. “Will that be all, Mister Stark?”

“That will be all, Miss Potts,” Tony answered softly. “Have a safe flight. If you or Happy need anything, let JARVIS know.”

And then she was gone – down the elevator to Happy and the limousine, soon to be on a StarkJet and across the country.

~ * ~

“Thanks for lunch,” Happy said to Rhodey. He’d come up to return the plate – and to say goodbye. Pepper and her luggage were already loaded in the car, but Happy hadn’t felt comfortable leaving without some parting words.

“It’s always a pleasure to cook for you,” Rhodey said. He clapped the other man on the shoulder, then tugged him in for a rough hug. “Take care of her, will you?” Rhodey asked quietly. “She’d argue she’s fine and that she doesn’t need looking after but – you and I know that’s not true, don’t we?”

Happy returned the hug, though it was awkward. “I’ll keep an eye on her, Jim.” He stepped away. “Is the boss free, JARVIS?”

Tony walked down the hallway from the empty penthouse bedroom. “I’m right here, Hap.” He looked okay, Happy thought – rough, but not desperate. Sad, but not desolate. It was more than he had hoped for. “You leaving, then?”

“Yeah, boss. You arranged a pilot?”

“And somebody to drive the limo back from the airport,” Tony agreed. He rubbed a hand over his face, transferred the motion to rub over his arc reactor. “I know Rhodey asked you too but – take care of her, please?” There was a more plaintive quality to Tony’s plea – with more emotion than he’d displayed to that point. Happy wondered how much of Tony’s calm was manufactured, and how much was resignation.

“Like she was my own family,” Happy promised. “And I’ll keep JARVIS updated unless… you’d rather I call you?”

Tony shook his head. “No. For now, an intermediary isn’t a bad idea. I’m sorry to put you in this spot again, Hap… I know you felt torn between us during the whole Hammer-Vanko thing…”

Happy put one hand on Tony’s shoulder. “This is different. You’re not dying – and you’re not alone. Jim’s here, and… Pepper doesn’t have any body else,” Happy added softly. Then – purely because Tony looked like he needed it – Happy pulled his boss into the same kind of hug that Jim had given him a moment ago. “You take care too, alright?” he said gruffly. “Calls go both ways. You need something, you call.”

“I will,” Tony promised. He squeezed Happy tightly. “Go! Enjoy LA, I know you hate New York.”

No one spoke again until the elevator doors had closed on Happy. Tony flipped the switch on the electric kettle – newly delivered, given that apparently all members of the Scooby squad lived on tea rather than coffee – and dug around in the small box that Catriona had provided, looking for a particular sachet. When he found the one that smelled like peace, he dropped it into a mug. Serenitea might be a cheeky name for a tea, but it tasted good – and he could use a little serenity right now.

Rhodey watched him and didn’t bother disguising the fact. He watched as Tony filled the mug with boiling water, and as he carefully measured out two spoonfuls of sugar before stirring them in. Watched as he sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, meticulously straightening his pantlegs. Watched as his dark eyes filled with tears, and his cheeks wet with them.

“Come here,” Rhodey murmured, sitting down next to Tony and gathering him close. God, he hated this every time – hated seeing Tony look so small and defeated. He’d hoped this time would be different – Pepper hadn’t stolen trade secrets or gotten caught cheating on him – surely that would make it easier? But Sunset and Ty had each betrayed Tony’s trust, and revealed that they’d never truly loved him. Pepper did – just not the way they’d both thought. “I’m so sorry, Tony.”

Just as he had at seventeen and again at twenty-seven, Tony curled into Rhodey’s embrace as the only thing that made sense. His brain understood why Pepper had left, why she’d needed to go. His heart ached at having just one more example of how he failed at love. “Was she right?” Tony asked after a time – no idea how long, given he’d spent it with his face pressed firmly into Rhodey’s shoulder.

“About what, marshmallow?”

“That we loved each other, but weren’t in love?”

Rhodey scooted his chair closer Tony’s, debating just pulling the younger man into his lap – but they weren’t in their twenties anymore, and that position wasn’t sustainable. “I don’t know.” He ran his hand over Tony’s hair and down his back, trying to soothe. “Have you ever felt the difference?”

Tony shook his head against Rhodey’s shoulder, his eyes pricking again. “Didn’t know there was one, really.”

Searching his memory, Rhodey tried to think of an example from Tony’s life. “Did Jarvis – human Jarvis – look at Peggy the same way as he looked at Ana?” He’d barely met Missus Jarvis – she’d already been in treatment for ovarian cancer when he and Tony had met at MIT. The very first cheesecake that his Mama had ever baked for Tony was following Ana’s death in 1987 – an apple torte cheesecake to honor the favorite dish of a woman Mama had never met. Tony had cried through every bite, and clung to Rhodey like he, too, might wither away and die.

“No.” Jarvis had looked at Ana like the sun rose and set on her whim – but then, hadn’t it? He’d looked at Aunt Peggy more like she was… an engaging and entertaining wild panther, trapped in a suburban garden. Mysterious and powerful – and beloved, Tony had no doubt of that – but not the way he’d looked at Ana. “Do I ever look at anybody like that, honeybear?”

“I don’t know, sting ray.” Rhodey tugged him close again, tucking Tony’s head under his chin. “But I know you didn’t look at Pepper that way.”

“Is it…” Tony trailed off, his cheek pressed against the warm skin of Rhodey’s neck. “Is there something wrong with me? Did Dad – did Howard break that, too?”

Giving up on sensibility, Rhodey pulled until Tony was fully in his lap. “No,” he said into Tony’s hair as the younger man curled into a tighter ball, face still pressed against Rhodey’s neck. “You’re not broken, sweetheart. Bruised and battered, maybe, but… I think when you find the right person, you’ll light up too.” He had to swallow hard, stomping on his own needs for the moment. “You’re going to be okay, Tones. I’m right here with you.”

“For how long?” Tony muttered, and Rhodey felt fresh wetness against his neck. “You’re going to leave, you always leave, and—”

“As long as I can,” Rhodey soothed. He found himself rocking Tony, running his hands up and down the genius’ back. “At least until the triad gets back, and you’re not trying to parent the whole mass of his kids by yourself. And yes – I’d noticed,” Rhodey added wryly, when he felt Tony stiffening. “I take it you hadn’t? They need guidance, and you’re close enough in age and authority to Agent Coulson to step in for him. Bruce trusts you as a scientist, and Steve seems to think you’re the bee’s knees – yes, I chose that just to make you chuckle, sting ray – and that redhead looks at you with trust in her eyes. Two thousand years old, and she trusts you, Tony. You can’t tell me you’re broken when somebody like Lady Catriona O’Clare trusts you to hold her.”

A sniffle, quickly muffled. “You make a very persuasive argument, James Rhodes.”

“I ought to – you’re the one that made me take that rhetoric class.” Rhodey tightened his arms around Tony. “I’m here as long as you need me, marshmallow.”

“I always need you.”

Rolling his eyes, Rhodey chuckled. “Okay. I’m here as long as the immediate need lasts, how’s that? Until you’re steadier on your feet.”

Tony nodded against him. He would take what he could get. He would never have first billing in Rhodey’s life – never had, and never would. “Can we stay like this a little longer?” It couldn’t be comfortable for Rhodey – Tony knew that – but he wasn’t ready to move.

“Yeah.” Rhodey pressed his hand against the back of Tony’s head, cradling him against his neck. “As long as you need, marshmallow. You just hang on to me. I’m not going anywhere.”

~ * ~

“You wanna nap in whatcher wearin’, doll, or change?” Steve asked as he led Misty and Catriona to the nest – subbasement two – that he and Rhodey had constructed.

“This is fine,” Misty yawned, looking down at her leggings and t-shirt. “Frankly, not much else fits. I should get some maternity clothes but… well, that means leaving the Tower.”

Steve tugged her towards the nest. “I’ll take ya shoppin’, doll, iffin’ you want.”

Misty lifted an eyebrow, snorting. “Steve, I love you like a brother but if you think you’re the one I’m going to take shopping, you’ve got another think coming. Maybe Darcy…” she yawned again, “or I can wait until Angie gets here. She’s fun… and she’s not that far out. She was thinking Wednesday… I think I can hold out until then.”

He frowned as he settled into the center of the massive expanse of mattress. He had to give Rhodey credit – it was an engineering coup, the there was no palpable difference between their foam padded inserts and the mattress to either side. “You’re not gonna – doll, you shouldn’t go alone. Iffin’ you don’t want me, then… well…”

Catriona yawned too and crawled on hands and knees up the length of the mattress until she could curl up on Steve’s left side. Her head pillowed nicely against his pecs, though she had to readjust his dog tags so they weren’t pressing into her cheek. “She is well able to defend herself, sciath ceartaiseach.”

“I’d feel better if you’d at least take CJ,” Steve offered. “As overwatch.”

Misty rolled that idea around as she shook several blankets out of a folded pile. She brought two with her as she laid down next to Steve – one she tucked around the druid, the second she wrapped around herself. He’d be covered by the ends of both and tended to run warm anyway. “I can agree to those terms. If he’ll go,” she added, not wanting to obligate CJ to a day spent trailing two of his clanmates around New York.

“He will,” Steve said confidently. He recognized the brother instinct in CJ, though he guessed the young man didn’t come by it by blood. Steve hadn’t either, but it had been strong nonetheless. “You want I should dig a few of mine out? More keep appearing in my duffel – I think Tony might be sneakin’ ‘em in when I ain’t lookin’ – but so long’s you don’t mind the shoulders bein’ all stretched out, you’s welcome to ‘em.”

She blamed it entirely on hormones, the sudden hot flush of tears that arose from that simple offer. “That’s fucking adorable, Steve,” Misty said, nuzzling into him. “And I might take you up on it. At least until I can arrange a shopping trip.”

Steve could tell that – for all their exhaustion – neither woman was quite ready to sleep yet. He dug around in his memory for the best way to soothe and smiled. “I ever tell you about Becca?”

“Barnes?” Catriona asked, yawning. “You mentioned her at breakfast yesterday, but you did not give any details.” On Steve’s other side, Misty settled into a similar position, pressed close to the supersoldier. She reached across his broad chest to take Catriona’s hand – making sure she had two people touching her.

“She was my baby sister in all the ways that matter,” Steve said, letting his voice slip into a soothing lull. “Sorta like your CJ is for you, Misty.” He knew how to tell a story – knew how to use that tale to ease people into a state of rest. He’d used it on the Howlies, on nights when enemy fire engendered restlessness. Before the war, he’d spun yarns for Bucky on evenings when his lover had been over exhausted by work at the docks… and younger even than that, he’d been drafted as a nightly storyteller for the very lass he was speaking of now. “I was seven when Becca was born – Buck was eight. Ma used to tell me not to ask why there was eight years ‘tween the two – I reckon now that Ma Barnes might’ve had some female trouble ‘twixt ‘em. But then she was born – Ma delivered her – and she was the cutest thing I done ever seen.” He felt Catriona settle more deeply against him, Misty’s head growing heavier. “’Course, we was old ‘nough to help with her, y’know – fetchin’ nappies and preppin’ her food when she was off the breast.” Despite the time he was born in, and their rather Puritanical views on the body, Steve was still the son of a single mother who’d worked as a nurse – he was not ignorant to the begetting, birthing, or raising of babies. “That was a’fore me ‘n Buck was anythin’ but best pals – Becca was seven when that happened – but even a’fore them, I never doubted she loved us both as brothers.” Remembering the utter trust she displayed – the heavy weight of her when she’d fall asleep atop him – made Steve smile with melancholy. “’Bout broke ‘her heart when Buck got drafted – she was seventeen, y’know, and old ‘nough to know how serious it was.”

Misty yawned again, and Steve knew she was close to sleep. “They were close?”

“Oh, yeah,” Steve smiled, stroking his hand down Misty’s hair. “Yeah, was a joke ‘round the neighborhood – Barneses come in pairs. Becca trailed after us like a puppy, most days… gots her in trouble with Ma Barnes plenty, a’cuz she was s’posed to be home helpin’ with the chores and instead she was done at the docks runnin’ errands for Buck, or holed up with me learnin’ bout drawin’. You never seen nothin’ cuter than that little bit of a thing, haulin’ a discarded box behind Buck, all ‘xcited ‘cause that meant wood for the fire…” he chuckled a little. “Heated up our little apartment good though.” He glanced down and saw both pairs of eyes were closed now, their breathing steady. He pressed a kiss to each forehead in turn. “Buck woulda loved you two,” Steve whispered, now to himself. “He’d appointed ‘imself that babe’s defender, and fought me for cuddlin’ rights… and he’d’a been right out there with the blond squad – ‘cept we’d’a had to call it sommat diff’rent.” Before he could get melancholy, Steve slipped away from the aching void of emptiness and focused instead on a good memory. “Just like ‘e did in London, time it was bombed when we was on leave… first inta the buildin’, last to leave, and everybody pulled out’d we could reach, him and I together. Ain’t never known a better man.” He blew out a long breath. “Then when we was done with that – well, housin’ was real tight, so’s they were right glad we was willin’ to share a room… was a good night,” Steve said with a fond sigh.

Both women were solidly asleep now, so Steve picked up his discarded StarkPad, opened one of the books on his list, and began to read.

~ * ~

Rhodey had chivvied Tony to the living room by pointing out that kitchen chairs were not conducive to cuddling. They were curled up now in one corner of a brown suede couch. Tony was laying on Rhodey, every inch of him touching his best friend, though he’d stopped trembling. Rhodey kept up a steady rhythm of stroking down Tony’s back. They were resting in silence, an unusual state for Tony – which said more to Rhodey about his best friend’s state of mind that anything else.

“We should call Mama,” Tony said an indeterminate amount of time later. “And then I need shop time.”

“Alright.” Rhodey wriggled until he could extract his cell phone from his pocket and put it on the arm of the couch. He dialed his mother and put her on speaker. “Hi, Mama.”

There was a swift intake of breath, followed by the beginning of a diatribe. “James Matthew Rhodes, I have raised you better than this! I have been worried sick since I saw the footage on the TV about that big fight up there in New York – where have you been? I didn’t see you with Tony, you left him to fight with strangers? Very strange strangers to boot – and then it takes you three days to call me?”

“I wasn’t in New York—”

His mother huffed. “You should have been! Hang the Air Force, it’s obvious that Tiger needed you. My heart about stopped in my chest when I saw the video of him flying up into that hole in the sky, and them come falling out, and you just left him to the others?”

Rhodey pinched the bridge of his nose. “The rest of the Avengers are good people, Mama.”

“They aren’t you! Nobody takes better care of Tony than you!”

“I was on a mission—”

“I don’t care if it was a mission from God Himself, your place is in making sure Tiger’s thick skull doesn’t crack open on the pavement.”

Tony cleared his throat. “I’m okay, Mama.”

Immediately Roberta’s demeanor changed. “Hello there, Tiger. How are you feeling? Still pretty banged up?”

“Um. Physically I’m fine,” Tony said, his voice muffled against Rhodey’s neck. “Got healed up by Thor’s mom and that was a trip, let me tell you… but…”

To her credit, Roberta took what Tony said in stride. “Do you need me to fly up there, baby?”

Rhodey felt fresh tears wet his neck and ran his hand down Tony’s back. “No, Mama,” the older man said quietly. “But I need you to email me the recipe for that strawberry rhubarb custard pie.”

“Oh, Tony,” Roberta sighed, sympathy dripping from her words. “My poor Tiger. Miss Pepper finally admitted she couldn’t handle loving a superhero?”

“I’m not a superhero,” Tony mumbled.

“You are to me,” Roberta said firmly. “And judging by the news, to a lot of other people too. But if you’d rather I not use that word, I can find another.” She paused. “Goodness knows I understand how hard it is to love a hero.”

Rhodey knew she was thinking of his father – the father he didn’t remember, who’d been shot out of the sky during the Tet Offensive before Rhodey’d turned two. He’d grown up in the shadow of Terrence Rhodes, but it had never been an oppressive one. Roberta loved her late husband in a way Rhodey had always been a little wistful for, and then men in his father’s unit had treated Rhodey like a nephew for his entire life. He still got birthday cards from those left. Yes… his mother would understand how difficult it was for Pepper to love Tony. “She didn’t leave over that, Mama,” Rhodey interrupted. “It was more… well, they’ve grown apart. Tony’s matured and Pepper has… issues with that.”

“Well! I never.” Roberta huffed, making Tony laugh weakly. “If by maturing you mean our Tiger’s remembering how to be the good boy he used to be – oh, I’m sorry, baby. I don’t mean to speak of you like you’re not listening.”

“S’okay,” Tony murmured. “Don’t mind it from you.” 

Roberta hummed thoughtfully. “Should I go down to the French Quarter and buy a voodoo doll of Miss Pepper?”

“No, Mama.” Tony had to repeat himself as most of his words were garbled against Rhodey. “No, I’m not angry at Pep. She did what she had to do, you know? I’m not what she needs anymore, if I ever was.”

“More’s the pity for her.” A derisive sniff, and in his mind’s eye, Tony could see the look on Roberta’s face – at once disapproving and supportive. “I’ll email you that recipe, Jamie. I don’t know how you’re going to get rhubarb in New York—”

“If I may interrupt, Missus Rhodes,” JARVIS chimed in. “There is a local organic market with sufficient quantities of the vegetable. I shall place an order and have it delivered to the Tower at once.”

Roberta hummed again. “You’re a good boy, JARVIS,” she praised – exactly as she had Tony as a teenager. “And I thank you for keeping me informed… even if I’d rather have heard it from the horse’s mouth.”

Tony squirmed, making Rhodey clamp his arms tighter to prevent Tony’s wriggling. “I didn’t – I felt weird calling, before honeybear made it home.”

There was a long sigh. “How many times do I have to tell you that you can call me whenever you like, Tony?”

“Besides,” Tony barreled out – because he really could not handle that particular lecture right now – “I’ve been busy with… things. People. The team.”

Roberta’s humming continued, this time with a distinctly interrogatory tone. “Those folks I saw on the news? What are they calling them – the Avengers?”

“Them, and their support staff.”

Rhodey snorted. “I dare you to call Catriona ‘support staff’ to her face.”

Tony – in a burst of true maturity – stuck his tongue out at Rhodey. “You’ll like them, Mama. And… one of them is… Mama, I got to meet Captain America.”

“Is that so? I thought he looked familiar,” Roberta mused. “He’s a very good likeness. I wonder what possessed him to take on such a loaded moniker? Surely there are other soldiers he could emulate.”

“He’s the real thing.” Rhodey still didn’t understand how, exactly, Steve had survived – but he was convinced of the authenticity. He didn’t think anyone could counterfeit not just Captain America’s martial prowess, but the genuine emotional distress he’d seen in the young man. “He’s also a pretty nice guy. The others seem to be too – Doctor Banner is almost as smart as Tony, and Prince Thor… well, I haven’t spent much time with him yet, but he seems very regal.”

“What about that archer?” Roberta asked. “He does have very nice arms, doesn’t he?”

Tony laughed weakly against Rhodey’s neck. “Clint – Clint Barton, Hawkeye – yeah, his biceps are great but he’s married, Mama. Really married. Has a wife and a husband both. They aren’t here, they’re in—”

“Iowa,” Roberta supplied. “I know, I saw it on the Twitter. That’s what you call it, right? There was a video of him shooting at a circus and…” she let out a low whistle, “that spandex really doesn’t leave much to the imagination, does it?”

He wasn’t sure which bothered him more – that Mama Roberta was lusting over Clint, or that apparently she’d seen something on social media about a teammate before he had. “On Twitter, huh?”

“Mmmhmm. I’ve been watching it off and on today – it’s been amusing,” Roberta said with a small laugh. “He’s almost as good at a quippy comeback as you are, Tiger. It’s been entertaining. I was surprised not to have seen you jump into the conversation… but if you’ve been dealing with Miss Pepper, I suppose I can understand it.”

Tony didn’t know of a polite way to admit he had no idea what was happening on Twitter – normally, Pepper kept track of those things for him, and only alerted him when he needed to react publicly. He’d need to find… somebody… to take over the Iron Man portion of that gig. Pepper would continue to monitor for Stark Industries, he knew that without asking – but he suspected that Iron Man was on his own. “I’ll look into it, Mama.”

“That’s my good boy.” Just as it had that very first Thanksgiving, Roberta’s praised filled Tony with a warmth he barely remembered from his childhood. “Now Jamie, you’ll be taking care of our Tiger, won’t you? And Tony, you’ll be taking care of Jamie?”

“Yes ma’am,” Rhodey answered for both of them. “I’ve put in for some vacation time from the Air Force – and if they won’t give me vacation time, I’ve at least asked them to assign me to Stark Industries and the Avengers for now.”

“I’ll let you two get back to it then,” Roberta said. “I’m sure you’ve plenty to do without reassuring this old busybody.”

Tony huffed. “You aren’t old, and you’re not a busybody. I’ll try to stay better in touch, Mama – and if I can’t, I’ll make sure JARVIS does.”

“Alright then.” She made an exaggerated kissing noise. “Take care of each other for me, and know that I love you both very much.”

“We know.” Rhodey rubbed his hands down Tony’s hand to soothe him. “We love you too, Mama.”

~ * ~


	14. Chapter 14

Raj brightened immediately when he spied Misty, Catriona, and Steve getting off the elevator. While he’d enjoyed working with Bruce, Rhodey, and Tony on the various projects in progress, he was relieved to pass off the StarkPad and communicator that he’d been using the monitor Beta team. “Buff, I have no idea how you manage – what on earth are you wearing?”

Misty took the comm from him and slipped it into her ear, glancing down at the StarkPad. “I stole it from Steve,” she said, tugging at the hem of the sweatshirt. It was massive on her – the sleeves would have covered her hands if she’d let them. Inside it, her small baby bulge was completely hidden, though at the expense of looking like a cranky child.

“You didn’t steal it,” Steve corrected, nudging Misty to the futon. “I offered to let you wear it.” It wasn’t one of the shirts that kept appearing in his duffel – this was one from the boxes that Raj had brought, printed with the old SSR logo. He’d had it in his SHIELD quarters back before everything had gone belly-up. 

“Yeah, but you might not get it back.” Misty kissed his cheek as he settled. 

Tony looked up from his workbench. He’d added red tape to the floor to designate the areas where he felt it was unsafe for Misty to approach, but saw no reason not to start repairing the damage to both War Machine and Iron Man. Given the way his luck was falling, they’d be needed sooner rather than later. “If you’re cold, I can order you a couple of sweaters,” he offered.

“Nah.” Misty tugged at the sleeves of the sweatshirt, nestling into Steve and Catriona. The druid was likely to fall asleep again, and Steve to resume his reading – they’d mostly left the nest because Misty didn’t like leaving Raj with her task for too long. She was glad now for more reasons than that – it gave her a chance to observe the others. Bruce was still subtly avoiding her, which she could tolerate. He didn’t need to like her if it kept him from hurting CJ. But Tony was not alright, and she couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong – and could tell that Rhodey knew more, based on the way he was watching and assisting. For now, she decided to let it go… but just for now. “I was thinking that when Angie gets here, I might go shopping for maternity clothes – and yeah, Steve’s already said his thing about us needing to take somebody, so I’ll probably ask CJ to go as overwatch.”

Tony stuck a finger in his mouth – he’d nicked it on a sharp piece of metal – and looked at Misty. “I have to agree with Steve.” Rhodey’s words about parenting Agent’s kids rang in his head. “I can find you something that fits better than that… tent thing you’ve got going on… down in the gift shop.”

Looking down at the fabric, Misty fingered the hem and smiled. “Steve’s worn this, so it smells like him – and I know Sensei picked it out. It helps me feel close to both of them,” she explained. “Haven’t you ever borrowed clothes from somebody, just to feel close to them?”

Tony pointedly did not look at Rhodey. “Why would I do that? I can afford lots of clothes.”

Rhodey guffawed, almost knocking over the War Machine boot he was working on. “Right. That’s why my MIT hoodies are always mysteriously absent, no matter how many of them I buy – and don’t think I haven’t noticed you sneaking my Air Force tees, either.”

Steve snugged his arm around Misty’s waist. “I used to ask Buck to leave me his Aran sweater when he went down to the docks. I knew he didn’t need it down there – he was always plenty warm – and I let him think it was just cuz I was cold… but knowin’ it was his made it warmer.”

His halfway-bashful admission made Misty’s eyes soften. “Ducks steals USMC hoodies from Chuckles,” Misty confided. “And shirts from Sensei and Cuz. There’s something special about them, I think.” She paused, fiddling with the hem of the shirt again.

Hearing that others did the same thing made Tony feel considerably less self-conscious about it – because he did indeed regularly steal clothes from Rhodey. Sweatshirts were his favorite, but he had a few worn tees tucked into a drawer for days when he needed the comfort but had to hide it under a suit. “Still. Anything you need, Misty,” Tony said. “I won’t stop you from going shopping but if you’d rather stay in-house – I mean, I can get practically everything delivered.”

“I’m sure you can,” Misty said, smiling at Tony. “And I genuinely appreciate the offer, but I’d like to actually leave the Tower now and then. I’ll wait until Angie is here, and I’ll take CJ, because I can see all of you vibrating with the need to protect me – but I’m safer here than I was in DC.”

Steve and Tony traded looks. The supersoldier could see in Tony’s eyes the same questions he was feeling – but neither of them felt they had the right to ask.

Raj, however, had no such compunctions. “Just because we’re not SHIELD anymore doesn’t mean we’re going to stop hunting that bastard, Misty. And I bet I know somebody who wouldn’t mind lending us some processing power. Hell, with me and Lancelot and Angeleyes teaming up with JARVIS and the Tin Man? Consider it solved.”

Misty leaned more heavily against Steve. “Doc – Raj – cneasai drogallach – I love you as a brother, and I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done to try and… try and solve that case. But I really don’t want to hear about it – I can’t. Not without at least ducks here, and preferable with Sensei too. Okay? It’s not because I don’t value what you’re doing, I just can’t.” One hand moved to cover her belly, the other clamping almost painfully tightly around Steve’s forearm.

“Okay.” It wasn’t Raj that answered, it was Tony. He set aside the microtool he’d been welding with, brushed his hands off on a shop towel, and crossed to the futon. He knelt in front of Misty and put one hand on her knee, the other covering hers on Steve’s arm. “Can I have your permission to pull all the files together? You don’t want to do anything but consent to me and JARVIS having the data. We’ll take it from there, okay? You don’t have to hear another word about it until you’re ready – and we can filter it through your chief and your ducks first if you need us to, okay?” He moved his hand from her knee to her cheek, cupping it gently. “I know all about having monsters chasing you, sweet pea. I’m not going to let yours get you.”

“Promise?” Misty asked in a very small voice – younger than her years. 

“On my honor,” Tony said solemnly. “On Iron Man.” He hadn’t been able to give Pepper what she needed, but by God he could do this. “C’mere.” He tugged Misty into a hug, having to extricate her from both Catriona and Steve to do so. She buried her head in his neck and he stroked her back. “Now, in true Stark fashion I’m going to change the subject because this is too heavy for the workshop. Shop rules, you know.” Misty chuckled against him but didn’t pull away. “So I’m going to ask. I know the pixie’s been making sure your cricket is healthy, but would you like to see an ultrasound? I ordered a machine, and I bet Bruce or Raj can operate it. Or I can bring in a specialist, but I kinda thought you’d like to keep it in the family. What do you say, time for baby’s first portrait?”

Misty sniffled – the only indication she’d cried – and shook her head. “Not yet. Not until ducks can be here.”

“Alright. Do we know when that’ll be?” He glanced from Misty to Raj. “You guys have some super secret chat going, right? Keeping each other updated?”

“We do,” Raj agreed, “but Maria’s schedule is kind of at the mercy of Director Fury.”

Tony hummed thoughtfully. “Okay. Permission to interfere?” he asked Misty, tapping her back to be sure she knew he was speaking to her.

“So long as it won’t put her job in danger,” Misty said. “And… and you can have the other permissions you asked for, too,” she added. “Whatever the team’s got on… on the case, it’s fair game.”

“Duly noted.” Tony sat back on his heels, keeping one hand on Misty. “Okay. I’m going to make a couple phone calls, and I’m going up to my office to take care of them. J can buzz me if you need me. You guys can stay in here or head to the nest, up to you.”

“I’m going upstairs to start on that pie,” Rhodey said. He’d been silent, watching Tony deal with Misty. If he hadn’t held a trembling Tony in his arms for nearly an hour today, he might have believed the act. Well, it wasn’t all an act – Rhodey had no doubt that Tony was sincere in his vow to Misty. (And since when did he call her sweet pea? It was kind of adorable and also entirely out of character – because it was a rather ordinary nickname.) But his emotional turmoil had obviously been pushed aside. Rhodey didn’t like that – it rarely ended well.

“What are we doing for dinner?” Bruce asked. “I can whip up some curry, or—”

Tony shook his head. “Pizza. Romano’s,” he said decisively. “J, make sure they get menus and order whatever – have it here about six. Six-thirty, maybe. That’ll give the blond squad time to get home from the field, and means I’ll be done eating in time for a meeting.”

“Certainly, Sir.”

The billionaire rose to his feet, ignoring a faint creaking in his left knee, to be halted by a small hand reaching out for his. “Thanks, athair,” Misty murmured. Tony winked at her and strode to the elevator, already issuing commands to JARVIS as he walked.

Steve refused to ask why Misty was using that particular Gaelic word to refer to Tony – but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to wonder.

~ * ~

It was blissful chaos at the dinner table as a dozen people sat down to eat. There were several different kinds of pizza, garlic bread, pasta, and even some salad, all being devoured by the hungry crowd. It warmed Tony to the cockles of his heart – whatever the fuck those were – despite the specter of his missing friends.

They’d made it through the first rush of food and eating had slowed to more normal speeds before any conversation was seriously attempted. Rhodey had stationed himself on Tony’s left, with their legs pressed together beneath the table. On his opposite side was Catriona, who had abandoned her supersoldier companion to worm her way under Tony’s arm. He didn’t mind – she was easy company and somehow always smelled like tea.

The blond squad – CJ, Thor, and Steve – were huddled in conversation, speaking quietly enough that Tony couldn’t make it out immediately. The Starfleet – Darcy, Erik, and Jane – were in a similar knot. Raj and Bruce were discussing their Chitauri project while Misty seemed to bounce freely between the conversations, never losing a train of thought or making a nuisance of herself. That in itself would have convinced Tony that she was Agent’s trainee – it was a skill that he’d seen Coulson display.

That skill – and many others he’d seen Misty display – could be useful now. Tony cleared his throat. He felt Rhodey tense beside him but patted his knee reassuringly. “Mama Rhodes mentioned something on the phone this afternoon,” Tony said. “And I did some poking around while I was in my office.” Between making phone calls and calling in favors – but that was immaterial. “Apparently Agent Barton is the latest star on Twitter, and we should maybe think about responding.”

A smile bloomed immediately on Misty’s face. “Did you watch the video? Awesome, right?” Tony smiled in response, but seeing that there was not universal understanding, she continued. “Cuz did a totally impromptu guest spot with a trickshot archer at a carnival that the triad took Cooper – their nephew – to on Sunday. The video’s gone viral – it hit Twitter like, late last night and by morning it was fucking everywhere. Angie let them know, and they’ve been… well, the press got wind of their triad-ness and there were articles popping off all over about their ‘alternative lifestyle’ so Cuz basically just started firing back on Twitter. Some of us Scoobies have been pitching in too. Sensei and Nascha have commented some.”

“And… you didn’t think to mention it to the rest of us?” Tony asked, one eyebrow raised.

Misty shrugged. “We can handle it. You’ve got enough shit on your plate.”

“Is this stubborn independent streak something you get from working with Agent, or does it come naturally?” he asked drily. “Because it’s annoying as hell.”

CJ snorted, leaning back in his chair. “You’re one to talk. Why’s it matter? Angie’s on it.”

“Angie’s on your end of it,” Tony said patiently. “And, at least according to Mama Rhodes, it looks like things are going fine. But we,” and he gestured to the other four Avengers, “should respond with support, or people will start asking why we’re silent. That hurts the triad, but it can also hurt the Avengers. People need to see us as a united front – that just because the immediate threat of the Chitauri invasion is over doesn’t mean we’re going to go our separate ways or leave Earth unprotected.”

Raj let out a strangled coughing noise, drawing Tony’s attention – as well as the rest of the table. “So this is – like, for real. This. The Avengers and the Scoobies and the triad and whatever others – we’re really going to all coagulate and – and be what, one big super squad?”

“I can’t speak for Agent,” Tony said, glancing around the table. “But – I think that’s where we’re headed.” He didn’t use the word family again, but it was in his heart – in his eyes. “And if so… I’m in.”

Pride burst out of Rhodey – because not in twenty-seven years of friendship had he seen Tony so ready to accept others. Even with his heart wounded by the break with Pepper, he was opening up to these newcomers, and it was a thing of beauty. “If you’re in, I’m in,” Rhodey said after a moment to be sure his voice wouldn’t waver. “Somebody’s got to keep you from making dumbass mistakes.”

“Whatever you want to call it – count me in too,” Steve added quietly. He needed the anchor of a team – needed a list of people to protect. If nothing else, filling a roster with new people might help ease the loss of those who’d come before.

Bruce took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses on his shirt. “I still think you’re all insane for wanting us but – the Other Guy and I are in, too.” It was, after all, the first group he’d felt accepted by since the accident – and maybe even before.

Thor regarded Tony gravely. “I would be honored to continue to fight at your side, friends,” he said, with a regal bow of his head. “And I agree that it would be prudent to include all those who support our ventures as well… such as Chief Coulson’s clan, and – ” he paused to tip his head towards Erik and Jane, “ – those whose undertakings are for knowledge rather than combat.”

“And we’d be fools not to consider ourselves part of it,” Erik answered. Jane looked less enthusiastic, but she didn’t object. Darcy was trying (and failing) to look mature when really she wanted to squeal and hug Thor – and anybody else in the immediate vicinity.

CJ traded hand signals with Raj and Misty before answering. “I’m in if Chief’s in. I go where he leads – and I’m not alone in that. But… I mean, he obviously approves or he wouldn’t have sent us here, so… I’m provisionally in.”

“Treorai does indeed approve,” Catriona said, squirming closer to Tony. She did not understand why he was trembling with distress now, not with such pledges of loyalty. “He says there is much to discuss regarding details but that he and his spouses are very pleased to consider this an extension of our association.”

“Teaglach,” Misty corrected. She didn’t think Tony knew the meaning of that word – and he seemed not to be asking JARVIS to translate the Gaelic they used – because she was fairly sure her use of the word ‘family’ would alarm him. That didn’t stop her from feeling it. “Ducks and I – and the cricket – are onboard too. I don’t even need to ask Maria to know that’s the answer.” She smiled a little. 

Tony was reaching for a third slice of pizza – one that he’d probably regret – when Thor’s brow furrowed. The massive man looked around the table again, seeming to count noses. “Are we not missing a pair, friend Tony? Your manservant, and your lady?” With such pledges being spoken, the imbalance was noticeable.

Rhodey’s hand closed on Tony’s knee. Tony patted the hand reassuringly under the table. “Happy and Pepper flew back to Malibu this afternoon,” Tony said quietly. “And… she. Um. Isn’t my lady anymore.”

Silence.

(CJ wished Chuck was there – because nobody broke awkward silence better. He’d quip about it being loud, and say something funny, and everyone would laugh, and it would be better. Fuck, he missed his clanmates.)

Misty reached around Rhodey to rest her hand on Tony’s left arm as Catriona did the same on his right. “You don’t have to tell us if you’re not ready,” Misty said.

“It is your story and no one will press for details, ceannroadai deantoir,” Catriona murmured at nearly the same moment. Across Tony, the druid and Misty met eyes, and a small smile passed between them. Catriona suspected that they were both thinking of a right-handed twin who so often stood steadfastly to protect the hearts and souls of others.

Tony blew out a breath. “Look, that’s an emotional conversation that I’m not capable of having right now. I’m going to a meeting tonight – honeybear, would you answer their questions for me?”

“Of course.” Rhodey gave up on propriety and slid his arm around Tony’s shoulders. “Whatever you need, sting ray.”

“Yeah, well.” Tony dropped his head against Rhodey’s shoulder for a moment – just letting his exhaustion show – before straightening up. “What I need tonight is a meeting and to not talk about this. Okay?”

“Of course,” Steve answered immediately. “We’ll see you when you get home – we’ll probably be in the nest.”

Tony rose from the table – shaking off both Rhodey and Catriona, who seemed determined to stay in physical contact with him. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” he promised. Without overthinking it, he placed goodbye kisses on Rhodey, Catriona, and Misty’s foreheads. “In an honest-to-JARVIS emergency, you can have J page me. Otherwise I’m unavailable.” He paused just outside the elevator.

There were murmured agreements and Tony left, grabbing a ball cap and nondescript windbreaker before taking the elevator down to the garage. He would take the most ordinary vehicle in his fleet – this wasn’t an occasion for flashiness.

As soon as the doors shut behind him, questions erupted. Rhodey held up one hand, rubbing the other over his forehead. “Can we at least pretend we’re responsible adults here, and speak one at a time?” He didn’t understand why that made CJ snort, or Misty look at him with amused fondness. The rubbing switched to drilling his temple with his finger, willing his headache to abate.

Catriona rose with more fluidity and grace than she’d displayed since before the Battle and crossed to the kitchen to turn on the electric kettle. “Tea, laoch beag? Faireoir?”

“Please,” Misty said, with CJ agreeing a half breath after her.

The druid turned back to Rhodey as she waited for the kettle to boil. “It is well that ceannroadai deantoi trusts you to guard his tale so, fiordilis. Can you tell us what has transpired? I have seen that the bonds between Miss Potts and Tony are not… they are not what I would have expected, from two linked by romance.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of the issue,” Rhodey said with a sigh. “It kind of sounds like they haven’t really been in love in a while, if they ever were. They love each other very much – and I think they’ll be able to stay friends, and to work together… but I don’t think it was the sonnets and songs type of love.”

Catriona deftly carried six cups of tea to the table – three in each hand, with her fingers looped through the handles. Somehow, not a single drop was spilled. She placed a cup in front of each of the Scoobies and her own seat. The fifth she offered to Bruce with an elegant inclination of her head – she’d learned he had a refined palate for tea that she quite enjoyed. The final cup she placed at Rhodey’s hand. “Drink this,” she ordered. “It will ease the headache that you are attempting to will out of existence.”

“Is it more freaky Healer crap that you know I’ve got a headache?” Rhodey asked, wrapping his hand obediently around the mug.

Misty snorted. “It doesn’t take Mama mojo to know that. You’ve got a tell which happens to match one of Sensei’s.” She leaned closer and pressed her index finger to a wrinkle between his brows. “Cuz calls this Sensei’s medbay wrinkle. It’s a surefire sign that he’s worried or in pain.”

“You’re too observant for your own good,” Rhodey told her tartly. He glanced around the table. “Alright. Hit me. I’ll tell you what I know.”

Sipping her own tea, Catriona regarded Rhodey thoughtfully. “How much of this change is due to our presence? I could not help but notice that Miss Potts is not comfortable in our company – nor did she make much effort to befriend us. I know that she is friends with Natasha, but… though I have heard my deirfiur discuss Miss Potts before, the woman I have shared a dwelling with these past few days bears little resemblance to the woman that Natasha speaks so fondly of.”

Rhodey scrubbed a hand over his face – then took an obedient drink of tea at the druid’s pointed look. “I’m not going to lie and say you guys didn’t have an impact – but I think it was inevitable, really. She’s always had to take care of him, you know? Handle him. That’s what her job was as his PA, and it’s part of her job as CEO, too. He just… doesn’t need that kind of handling anymore, and – I don’t think she was ready for that. She was used to being needed completely and absolutely – I think the idea that the script has flipped was too much for her.”

“I don’t understand what that means,” Steve said. “The script flipping thing.”

“It’s – role reversal,” Rhodey explained. “Tony needs to be needed – always has. I don’t think Pepper ever saw that part of him, because he kept it tucked away. I saw it always, so did Mama and Happy. But… I don’t think Pepper ever saw it. I don’t think she ever admitted that she needed anything from him, and that… that’s an issue.”

“Should he really be alone?” Misty asked. She tugged at the sleeves of Steve’s sweatshirt, hugging it closer to herself. Steve, seeing this, slipped his arm around her waist. “I mean, if he’s just… lost her… should he be alone? What if—I mean, he’s got to be hurting. Somebody should go with him, or after him.”

“He’s not a stray cat,” CJ drawled. He’d accepted the cup of tea from Catriona with a murmur of thanks but hadn’t immediately picked it up. “He’s a grown man. He’s doing what he needs to stay balanced – he set his boundaries about talking, and he’s going to a meeting. That’s the right thing to do, Buffy – we should respect that.”

“I know, but…” Misty fretted, curling into Steve. “He looked so… so… resigned.”

Rhodey sighed. “He was. Is. He’s never surprised when people walk away. He always hopes it’ll be different, but… well.” He shrugged one shoulder. “The number of people who stick by him is pretty slim.”

“Not anymore,” Steve said firmly – and maybe Rhodey felt a little bit of a thrill, because that wasn’t just Steve Rogers speaking – it was Captain America.

CJ rose to start clearing the table, and Raj automatically joined him. They’d done similar often enough at the dojo that it felt routine, and comfortable. Misty tried to join them, but Steve refused to release her. She shot him a half-amused, half-irritated look. “I just don’t want him to feel… I don’t know, like we aren’t taking this seriously,” Misty continued to Rhodey. “I don’t want to gloss over it and have that hurt him as much as asking him to talk about it.”

“Tony doesn’t do conversations like that,” Rhodey said. He sipped the tea again, finding it unexpectedly drinkable… and to his surprise, seemed to be helping with the headache. “He might talk about it obliquely but he’s not one to share the burden. It just… it isn’t in his nature.”

Bruce’s eyebrows drew together. “Isn’t in his nature, or he’s been conditioned not to show emotions?” He’d been careful about what questions he asked with regards to Howard Stark – he recognized the look in Tony’s eyes whenever fathers were brought into the discussion. How could he not? He saw it in his own reflection often enough. 

“Six of one, half dozen of the other?” Rhodey shrugged. “He was close-lipped even at MIT.” He looked down into the teacup. “He talks to his godmother sometimes – really talks. Or my Mama. But… look, don’t be offended if he can’t talk about himself with you. It isn’t because he doesn’t trust you.”

“He doesn’t trust himself,” Bruce murmured. “He’s not sure what reactions are normal and which aren’t – and he’d rather suffer in silence than have somebody look at him with judgment or pity.”

Rhodey met and held Bruce’s eyes before nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re probably right. And that’s part of what runs people off – Tony can talk for hours and say absolutely nothing. Unless you can read between the babble – ”

“We do,” Catriona interrupted him. She laid a delicate hand on Rhodey’s forearm. “We see him clearly, fiordilis. I understand that you have been his closest friend for these years, and none of us would dream of disrupting that – but you are no longer the only one, aye? Ceannroadai deantoir is not a simple man, and there is no shame in that. He will find no such censure from me – nor, I suspect, from any other member of An Teaglach Tofa.”

Thor frowned, looking from Catriona to Rhodey, sneaking a glance now and again at Jane. “I do not understand why – if they love each other so deeply – why their union is at an end,” Thor asked. There was no condemnation or disbelief in his tone. Bruce recognized it as similar to his confusion over Misty’s panic attack.

Steve rose. “Tell you what, Thor – how’s about you and I find a room we can spar in – and I’ll ‘splain it. I need to hit somethin’, and Tony ain’t had time to reinforce the punchin’ bags here like they did at SHIELD.”

“There is suitable space available in the gym on the 33rd floor, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS offered. “Provided neither you nor Prince Thor engage in excessive force.”

“Reckon we can do that,” Steve agreed. “I’ll leave off my shield, you leave off your hammer, and we’ll just take our measure, yeah? C’mon.” He clapped a hand on Thor’s shoulder.

“But…” Misty said, her chin starting to tremble. All movement stopped. “But somebody should go after Tony. He shouldn’t be alone!” she insisted.

After a quick internal debate, JARVIS spoke. “CJ left the premises on foot several minutes ago, Miss Summers, with directions to Sir’s current location.”

Misty looked taken aback. She glanced around the room, as though she could see where he’d gone and why he’d left. “Doc?”

Raj shrugged. “Don’t look at me, Buff. I thought he just stepped out to the little boy’s room. But he’s a good one to go – you know Chief would have sent him, if we were all here.”

“I know.” But Misty was still fretting.

Darcy decided that a distraction was in order. “Hey, Buffy. Why don’t you and I sit down with our tablets, and we can put together a social media strategy, yeah?” Misty raised both eyebrows at her, startled out of an impending crying fit. “I’ve got a poli sci degree, remember? This shit’s my bread and butter – and Janey won’t need me in the lab for a couple hours. So – let’s put our combined girl power together, and find a way to spin this until nobody doubts that not only are the triad badass examples of poly pride, but that they’ve got the support of the whole damned Tower. You up for that challenge?”

Misty’s eyes lit. “Hot damn. You’re on, Double D – and we’ll teleconference Angie in.” She rubbed her hands together. “Twitter won’t know what hit it.”

~ * ~


	15. Chapter 15

Tony’s left knee was creaking as he climbed the stairs from the church basement where the seven o’clock meeting of the Speak Freely AA group had met. It had been an hour meeting – the usual – and he’d needed it. He felt steadier now – he usually did, after a meeting.

“You sure you’re okay to drive home, son?” one of the old-timers asked.

Though typically it was a term that Tony resisted vociferously, he let this pass. Not only did Johnny Bob (and yeah, that was really that man’s name – Tony might had expressed his incredulity rather rudely upon first introduction) have a good twenty years age on him, he’d racked up more than three decades of sobriety. That earned a man a few liberties, in Tony’s books. “I’m okay,” Tony told him honestly. He’d spoken about the end of his relationship in the open discussion at the meeting – how he’d been surprised not to feel the compulsion to drink over it… and that he felt like his family was waiting for him to fall off the wagon. That kind of honesty didn’t come naturally to Tony, but openness was vital to how AA worked, and Tony wanted sobriety more than he wanted to cling to an illusion of pride.

The old-timer gestured in the direction of Tony’s car. “Looks like you’ve picked up a new hood ornament.”

Turning to the grey four door sedan, Tony felt his eyebrows creeping up. “Kid, what the hell are you doing here – did you walk here from the Tower? Misty’s gonna kill me.”

CJ was sitting on the hood of the car, his feet crossed at the ankle and his posture relaxed. Though he was in casual clothes, Tony didn’t doubt he was armed – but at the moment, he looked like any young teenager loitering. “I walked. I figured you were good for a ride home. The others,” he gestured vaguely towards Stark Tower, the large ‘A’ glowing in the skyline, “were arguing about whether to send somebody after you, and I elected myself before somebody could forbid it.”

Johnny Bob laughed – a rolling, rollicking sound that made both Tony and CJ grin. “Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, huh? Go on, take your boy home.”

“He isn’t my son,” Tony corrected absently. “Tell me you at least left word for somebody, kid, because I really don’t think – ”

CJ stood up fluidly, crossing to where Tony stood and patting him on the shoulder. “I told J. He’ll tell the others when they miss me.” Tony’s expression registered surprise, but CJ wasn’t sure if it was for his statement or the physical contact.

“I’ll let you get on home then,” Johnny Bob said. Without hesitation or pretense, he hugged Tony firmly. “You’ve got that list of phone numbers, yeah? Mine’s on it. You need a twelfth step, you fuckin’ call.”

“I will.” Tony returned the hug, as naturally as though he’d been doing it all his life. In truth, prior to discovering that half the alcoholics he met were huggers, only Rhodey had hugged him with much regularity. That was changing now, given how tactile the Avengers et al were (he needed to come up with something clever to call them as a group – he made a mental note to workshop it) but that didn’t prevent him from giving and receiving hugs at meetings as freely as he could.

CJ stuck his hands in his pockets, waiting for the goodbyes to finish. At Tony’s gesture, he climbed into the passenger seat of the car. “I’m sorry for ambushing you, but it seemed like the lesser of a lot of evils,” CJ said when the doors were shut and they were unlikely to be overheard. “Misty was full on fretting at the idea of you being alone – which was stupid, but… well, I didn’t want her to worry more. Besides, I… I wanted to talk to you.”

Tony started the car and turned towards home. “Because that’s not ominous at all.”

“Sorry.” CJ was glad he’d chosen the car for this – Tony couldn’t stare at him and drive at the same time. “There’s – I want to tell you two things. They’re related, so maybe it’s just one big thing? But it’s hard for me to talk about, and I didn’t want to be interrupted.”

Glancing sideways, Tony frowned. “Are you in trouble?”

“No.” CJ picked at the sleeve of his shirt – a battered Army Ranger sweatshirt that was too big on him. “But I was, a long time ago. That’s… part of it.” He blew out a long breath. “This isn’t a good story, Tony – and parts of it really suck. It won’t be comfortable to hear and even less to tell, but – ”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Tony said immediately. “If you don’t want to or you’re not ready, it’s okay. Whatever it is – it’s okay.”

CJ smiled briefly. “I know that. I want you to know, though.” He looked down at the sweatshirt again. “For it to make sense, I’ve got to – I’ve got to start at the beginning. When I was four or five, I was… well, I don’t know if money changed hands, honestly, but I was essentially sold to the leader of this weird polygamist mob cult thing. He taught me how to shoot and turned me into his little baby assassin.” CJ’s voice was as impassive as he could manage. “In addition to – you know – the other reason that crazy cult leaders keep little boys around.”

“Kid—”

“It’s germane, I swear, and I’m not going to go into detail,” CJ promised. “I was five the first time he gave me a kill order – that much I do know. I have kind of a fuzzy count of how many people he used me to kill – a lot. And I was damned good, even at that age. And then… and then when I was eight, SHIELD raided the compound. The leader was – umm – utilizing my other services when Clint put an arrow through his eye. I didn’t know it was Clint at the time, I didn’t learn that until much later. I just knew that the bastard was extremely dead.” His voice dropped to a quiet rumble. “I couldn’t get out from under him. Felt like it took forever for Strike Team Delta – that would be Nat and Clint – to get to me. The only thing I’d managed to do was pull the arrow out of the bastard’s eye. I still have it,” he added with a half-laugh. “Anyway. So SHIELD had me, and they knew two things: I was a fucking good shot, and Phil Coulson had decided to protect me.”

Tony snorted. “He does that.”

“He does. I didn’t know it was him then – I mean, I’d met him but the next part I didn’t learn until later. He pulled some strings to get me into something SHIELD calls prerecruitment – it’s kind of like a cross between foster care and boarding school. It’s what they do for – well, kids who are too good at killing to put into the general population. I got placed with a couple that were both SHIELD instructors, and it was… it was okay. Doug and Louise weren’t the Hallmark type, but they did their best. Got me into therapy with a wicked good therapist, got me trained up in any subject I was interested in – and I always kind of knew my future was with SHIELD.” He paused, looking out the window. “Then, when I was fifteen, Doug got sick. Cancer. Really aggressive cancer, and it was just a matter of time. Single agents don’t get prerecruits, so we knew that when Doug died, I’d get reassigned to a different couple. And… and my guardian angel didn’t like that.”

“That guardian angel was Agent?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that then. What I did know… I went to bed one night as a fifteen-year-old, and woke up the next day to find a file folder on the kitchen table with all new documentation stating I was eighteen, and legal to sign on as a full SHIELD agent – and Doug knew exactly what team I needed to be on, too.”

Tony risked looking over at CJ while they were at a stoplight. “So, you’re… you’re how old?”

“I turn seventeen in December. For real seventeen. Twenty according to the legal docs.” He didn’t look back at Tony. 

“Okay.” Tony tried to keep his voice level. “So. You’re sweet sixteen, and I let you fly my jet halfway across the planet. Is that why you’re telling me?”

“No.” CJ caught sight of his reflection in the window – pale and drawn. “I figure that you and JARVIS are better at sussing out data than Phil is at hiding it. I also figure you’re going to run background checks on all of us, if you haven’t already. And I didn’t want you to find out and think I didn’t trust you – because I do. Phil told me I could tell whoever I wanted, and… I wanted you to know that I wasn’t hiding the truth from you. Lying to SHIELD and the general public, because I’m not naive enough to think that there wouldn’t be a hue and cry over a literal kid fighting alongside the Avengers. But not to you.”

Blowing out a long breath, Tony tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Okay.” It was a fair point. When he’d have found the discrepancy… yeah, he’d have assumed CJ was lying to him. And he fucking hated being lied to – which was more insight from the kid. “Fuck, that’s why they call you the kid, isn’t it?”

A smile bloomed on CJ’s face. “Yeah – well, that and I asked them to. Before Misty knew the truth, she called me a baby a lot. The baby agent. But… well, none of us really want to draw attention to my youth – don’t want Phil’s meddling to get uncovered and get him in trouble. Kid’s less… less weird. Plus I like it,” he added, almost shy. “Kid and kiddo. Especially from – from the people I trust. My therapist says it’s reclaiming some of what was stolen from me.”

“I get that,” Tony agreed. “Cartoons are like that for me. I wasn’t allowed—anyway. This isn’t about me. You said there was a second thing.”

“Yeah. Well.” CJ brought his feet up onto the seat, wrapping his arms around his knees. “You’re a smart guy, and even with all this shit going on in your life – I mean, I figure you’ve noticed that it’s not as easy for me to be around you as it is some of the others. Bruce especially, but Thor and Steve too.”

Tony had noticed – but he’d assumed it was the usual reasons. He was too loud, too flashy, just too much for people. “I’d picked up on it, yeah.”

“It’s – look, this isn’t your fault. It isn’t anything you’ve done, and it’s really unfair that it’s a thing for me because I like you. You’re a good guy.” CJ tightened his arms around his legs. “But once in a while, you – you have a mannerism or a turn of phrase that’s really… that reminds me of the man that had me. You don’t look anything like him, and I know full well you’re not doing it on purpose – but sometimes I react before I can think it through. And it’s not your fault, Tony – you have to believe me. It’s entirely in my head and I know it. My therapist and I are working on it, and it’ll get better. I don’t want you to think it’s something you’ve done or said to make me uncomfortable – that’s… that’s why I needed you to know. Because you aren’t him, and my heart and head know that. Sometimes my body’s just a beat or two behind.”

“Okay.” Tony nodded once.

“You know, that’s one of the forbidden words,” CJ told him. “Okay, fine, and stupid are all banned, for good reason.”

Tony snorted. “Yeah, well. I don’t know what else to say.” He was quiet as he pulled the sedan into the underground Tower garage. “Thank you for trusting me,” Tony said as he turned off the ignition.

CJ didn’t move right away. “You’re not mad? That I’m – just a kid?”

“The way I figure, you haven’t been a child for a long time,” Tony said softly. “I was fourteen when I went to MIT. By the time I was your age, I already had a degree and a dozen patents to my name. I don’t buy into the idea that age is the best determiner of capability. I’m not crazy about the idea of a sixteen-year-old sniper… but I’m not going to throw a hissy fit about it, either. You’ve got Agent’s stamp of approval – hell, more than that.” Tony blew out a breath. “It doesn’t take a genius to see that he cares about you. I trust that he wouldn’t have done it, if it hadn’t been in your best interests.” He shifted in the seat so that he could face CJ, and held out one finger as he’d seen Catriona do, that first night after the Battle. 

Hesitantly, CJ pressed the pad of his index finger to Tony’s. “I really – I thought you’d be – I don’t know. Angry? Disappointed?”

“I probably would have been if I’d found out on my own,” Tony admitted. He kept his finger against CJ’s. “And you’re right – I was misinterpreting your reaction to me. So I’m not angry or disappointed about what you had to tell me, Junior. I’m pretty fucking relieved that I’m not making you uncomfortable – and that the one who hurt you is dead. He is dead, right?”

“Very, very dead,” CJ promised solemnly. He looked at their linked fingertips. “Why Junior?”

“Does it bother you?”

“Depends what it means.”

Tony chuckled. “God, you’re so much like him – and I mean that in the best possible way.” He pulled away, opening his car door to get out, talking through the open door to CJ. “I figure your initials stand for something, and I’ll look it up eventually – but in my head, they stand for Coulson Junior.”

CJ was halfway out of the car when Tony explained, and he wound up with one foot on the concrete, blinking at Tony. “That’s – um. Really?” There was a squeak to his voice that he couldn’t quite hide.

“Like I said, doesn’t take a genius to see – but I won’t call you that if – ”

“I like it,” CJ interrupted. “A lot. But I mean… we don’t have to tell everybody that’s why, right? We can tell Phil but… maybe just…”

Tony rounded the car and caught the sleeve of CJ’s sweatshirt to tug him out of the car. “C’mon, kid. Emotional revelations don’t belong in the garage – those are totally for the workshop or under the midnight confession seal.” He waited until CJ had followed him onto the elevator, punching the button for the nest level. “We can keep it quiet. Just make sure Misty knows I’ve got your OK to call you that, alright? I don’t want her mad at me.”

The young man nodded solemnly. “Will do.” He stepped a little closer to Tony and bumped their shoulders together. “Thanks.”

~ * ~

The gym on the 33rd floor wasn’t completed to Tony’s exacting specifications, but it wasn’t empty. There was a boxing ring set up, as well as a hanging punching bag and several lengths of mats, presumably for stretching or sparring. Steve eyed the boxing ring with a critical eye. “You reckon you can stay in the ring, Thor?”

“If that is the contest, certainly.” Thor rolled his shoulders, looking at the space. “It is somewhat small, is it not?”

“S’posed to be part o’ the challenge – forces you to think tactically,” Steve replied. “There’s a bunch o’ rules for true boxing, but I figure we can just lay a few of our own – like no hittin’ below the belt.”

“Neither of us is wearing a belt,” Thor pointed out. Steve started to explain, but the blond demigod laughed and waved a hand. “I understand the term. I should like to add that I would prefer we not draw blood or break bones – methinks it would distress Lady Catriona greatly were one of us to sustain an injury while she is yet to fully recover her Healing strength.”

Steve started looking through the cabinets along one wall, seeking protective gear – or at least tape. “My healing factor would fix it. I’m guessin’ you’ve got one too, or somethin’ like it.”

“Aye, but it would still distress the Lady – for however long it took us to heal,” Thor pointed out. “I would prefer not to add to her burden.” He crossed to stand next to Steve, peering into the cabinets. “Is there perhaps a leather thong I might use to tie back my hair?”

Steve handed him a length of rubber – some kind of resistance training band, he thought. “Here, use this. And then we’re gonna tape up our knuckles, ‘cause I’d rather not split ‘em open on your hard head.”

Thusly equipped, the two men slipped between the ropes and into the ring proper. Steve found himself grinning in anticipation – because aside from combat, there’d been very little chance for him to spar with anyone without the worry he’d cause serious damage. They traded testing blows for some time before settling into a rhythm – not one that was particularly difficult, but was a good stretch for each of them. 

“If you are more at ease,” Thor said, dodging a swing from Steve’s left fist. “Can you now explain why the union between the Lady Pepper and friend Tony is at an end, despite their feelings for each other?”

Steve stumbled, and Thor’s hand snapped out not to strike him, but to steady him. “Yeah, I can try.” He balanced again and resumed trading blows. “There’s diff’rent kinds of love, y’know. Ain’t all the same. And a love can be real powerful in one kind and not the other.” He ducked under Thor’s swing, coming up behind the demigod to thwack him across the shoulders. “I think – from lookin’ at the way Tony treats people, and the way Pepper treats people – I think they love each other more like friends or even siblings – but not like lovers.”

“This is that distinction between loving and being in love that Colonel Rhodes spoke of?” Thor asked.

“Yeah.” Steve stopped to wipe sweat from his forehead. Thor was a good partner – they were well matched physically, and the Asgardian was not overly aggressive. “I don’t know what it’s like to fall outta love – but I know a bit about it changin’. Mine went the other way – went from bein’ platonic to romantic.”

Thor’s brows furrowed. “Is this one of the burdens of grief that you carry?”

Steve dropped his hands. “Yeah.” He stepped back, shaking his head. “I can’t hit you and talk about Bucky at the same time. I just – I can’t.”

“Very well. Shall we rest a moment then?” Thor gestured towards one of the benches, and Steve followed him there.

“It wasn’t a single day,” Steve said, sinking into a seated position. “It weren’t like I one day loved him as a brother and the next as a lover. Happened gradual like, for us – and I reckon it happened that way for Tony and Pepper too.” He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. “I remember the time before we was more – remember lookin’ at him and lovin’ him, but not wantin’ him. Not needin’ his touch. Not like that. But Tony… he looks at Pepper with love, for sure – and he wants to protect her and do right by her – but he don’t act like a man what needs her to breathe. And maybe I ain’t givin’ him a fair shake, but… I reckon a man who cares for his friends so deeply would be a lot more demonstrative with his soulmate. Hell, he’s more open with any one of us, ‘specially Rhodey.”

Thor nodded slowly. “I had noticed that, yes.” He was quiet a moment. “Does speaking of your beloved bring you pain? I do not wish to add to your burden.”

“It ain’t easy,” Steve admitted, very quietly. “Him and I – Misty tells me it ain’t illegal no more, that we could’ve married, been together openly. That weren’t the case then. We were riskin’ everything to be together – hidin’ it was real familiar. Talkin’ about him is hard. And – and I miss ‘im.” Steve swallowed hard, seeking reserves of self-control that were so battered and depleted by the past two months – by the past sixty-four sunrises – that he wasn’t sure he remembered what it felt like not to mourn.

“My heart grieves with thee,” Thor said, bowing his head. From anyone else, it would have sounded archaic and pretentious – but Thor said it with such deep sincerity that Steve had to believe it was genuine.

“’Preciate that.” Steve didn’t open his eyes again yet – preferring to leave them closed until he was sure they wouldn’t fill with tears. “I think Tony – and you, to some extent – are grieving too. Even though Pepper and Jane are still alive, the romances aren’t – and that can be just as hard to adjust to.” He swallowed again. “You’re a stronger man than I, to be able to see Jane with someone else. I lost Bucky to death – but my faith tells me we’ll be together again, someday. You and Tony, you’ve got to watch them live lives without you.”

Hesitantly, Thor rested a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Grief is not something which should be measured, compared. There is no value in likening the weight upon your shoulders to that upon mine – it matters only that you are burdened, and that I will do what is in my power to either relieve that load, or to help you carry it.”

Steve’s hand came up to cover Thor’s. “Feelin’s mutual. For you and Tony both. There’s this sayin’… a burden shared is a burden halved.”

“A wise adage,” Thor agreed. “There is much wisdom to be found here on Midgard – more than my people give you credit for. It is oft hidden in humor or twists of phrase, but it is wisdom nonetheless.”

“We try.” Steve opened his eyes finally, seeing Thor’s gaze. “How abouts we see if this Midgardian can teach you a thing or two about combat?”

Thor stood and offered Steve a hand to rise. “A fine notion indeed.”

~ * ~

After consulting JARVIS, Misty and Darcy decided that the office Tony had furnished for Pepper would be a suitable base of operations for their current mission – and they knew she wasn’t going to need the space immediately. It didn’t look as though it had been used at all, and there were no personal touches – even Maria’s office at SHIELD had more personality.

The benefit of working a space designed for one of the most powerful CEOs in the country was immediately evident, though – there was a wall of screens available for their use. Darcy and Misty each took control of one. JARVIS began displaying Twitter feeds on two more – and the largest center screen served to display the video call that they’d brought up with Angie.

“Buffy!” the thin blonde said when the call connected. “Hey, how’s New York? How’s – ” Angie cut herself off when she realized Misty wasn’t alone. “Um. Hi.”

Misty smiled. “Angeleyes, this is Darcy Lewis, scientist wrangler and poli sci major. Darcy, this is Angie Edwards – she’s our tech expert and one hell of a hacker.”

Darcy waved. “Hey. Nice to meet you. Or, you know. See you.” She shoved her dark hair away from her face, pushing her glasses up. “Heard you were the one that started this Twitter campaign and I gotta say – good job. You’ve got a knack for hashtags. #HawkFlock is my favorite so far.”

“Thanks,” Angie said – looking a little surprised at the praise. 

“Did you set up those usernames too?” Darcy asked.

“Yup. I’ve had them for ages – I just didn’t think we’d need them so soon. Set up accounts for the whole clan – not everybody’s used theirs though. And CJ told me he didn’t like the username I picked for him, that we’d need to set up a new one.”

Misty’s eyebrows went up. “Why? What was it?”

Angie made a face. “Not my best effort. It was just @cjforrester. I should have known better. But so far, everyone else has liked theirs.”

“I just followed you,” Darcy said, “I’m @taserprincessdarcy. I figure we should all interconnect before we get too far. So, tell me – what’s been the strategy so far?”

“Keep Clint from saying anything that’ll get him sued while still making it clear he’s not holding back any information.” Misty leaned back in her chair, rubbing idly at her lower back. “Mostly it’s been about controlling the narrative. I can’t figure out where the hell these reporters are getting their information though – they seem to know more about the triad than they should.”

On the screen, Angie’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Buffy, I haven’t been able to – ”

“Great good Goddess, girl, I’m not blaming you,” Misty huffed. “If I was pissed off at you, I’d let you know.”

“Right.” The hacker forced a smile. “I’ve got some tracker bots out, trying to see if I can spot a source. I’ll keep on it, maybe message Lance to help me out. I write better code, but he thinks up better queries.”

Misty smiled. “That’s our Lancelock. Tony will tell him he’s got a beautiful brain.”

“Dude talks about brains like a zombie.” Darcy rolled her eyes. “Okay, so – data leaks aside. I like what I’ve seen so far, but we need to get the other Avengers in on this action. Tony’s already got a Twitter account. I extremely doubt that Steve and Thor do, and it’s iffy on Bruce. He’s spent a lot of time on the run, that’s not super conducive to social media usage.”

“I can set up accounts,” Angie offered. “We can brainstorm usernames, come up with something they won’t object to. We might want to do like an official Avengers one, too.”

Darcy nodded. She found a pen on the desk and started tapping it on the table, then on her lips. “That’s good – that’s great – but we’re gonna need more. I think… I think we need a press conference, or at least one good interview. Tony for sure, and I think Steve. We need Iron Man’s charisma, and we need that fatal combination of puppy dog innocence and steely reserve that Steve does.”

“Steve’s going to fight you on it,” Misty warned. She rose to start pacing. “He hated doing media before – and he’s already complained about how intrusive they are now.”

Angie looked from Darcy to Misty. “Okay. I might not be the watcher, and I might not be Lancelock, but even I know something is rotten in Denmark. Buff – what’s the matter?”

Misty huffed. “Gee, Angela Grace, I have no idea why I might seem off. My girlfriend’s in another city and I have no idea when I’m going to get to see her next. I’m trying to balance Steve’s paralyzing grief against the needs of the team. I’m having what Catriona tells me are entirely normal muscle aches that are driving me to distraction. Tony and Pepper broke up – amicably, I guess, or as amicable as that shit goes – and I’m worried about him. I would commit a felony for some of Sensei’s cooking. Thor’s been dumped, so he’s in the doldrums too. So yes – you could say I’m under a little bit of stress.”

“Sorry,” Angie said in a small voice.

“No, it’s – no, I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t just unload on you.” Misty sighed, rubbing at her forehead. “The Tony thing just happened tonight, he told us at dinner – just kind of was the last straw.”

“I don’t know that Tony wants that to be public yet,” Darcy chided.

“Angie isn’t public.” Misty shot Darcy a look. “And she’d have found out when she gets here anyway. You are coming soon, right bleachtaire?”

“Wednesday,” Angie promised. “I’ve got to finish up Chuck’s apartment, and then it’s just mine. Won’t take me too long. I’m renting a box truck and I’ll bring a load of stuff with me – the rest is going into one of Nat’s storage units. Chief will come back for Lola, at least – I figure we’ll all be making trips back and forth for a while.”

Misty nodded again, still pacing. “A press conference would be better, I think. Damn, I wish Pepper was still here, I don’t have any contacts—”

“If I might offer my assistance, Miss Summers?”

Angie jumped. “Jesus, who the hell—”

“My apologies, Miss Edwards. My name is JARVIS; I am an artificial intelligence created to assist Sir in his endeavors. He has given me discretion as to how my auxiliary services are used – may I be of some assistance?”

Misty smiled up at the ceiling. “I’m not likely to refuse your help, J – I imagine you’ve helped Tony through media shit before.” 

“Sir has weathered a number of public controversies, Miss Summers. All of my expertise is at your disposal.”

“I was gonna call this the Get Shit Done Girl Club,” Misty said, still smiling, “but I guess I can’t call it that if we’re going to induct you, JARVIS.”

“Media Meddlers?” Darcy suggested.

“Media Monkeys?” Angie countered.

“Media Monkey Meddlers.” Misty shot them each a grin before winking up at the ceiling. “Okay, so – let’s plan us a press conference.”

~ * ~

There was one problem with the new nest space – and it became obvious when CJ entered the room and immediately halted his forward motion. Tony almost bumped into him, but was able to catch himself. “Hey, what’s – oh.” Tony frowned. “You want to sleep upstairs in one of the guest rooms, kid?”

“No.” CJ’s arms came up around himself. “But – I don’t know if I can – ”

Their entrance had been noted by those already curled up on the massive mattress – Steve pinned down on either side by Misty and Catriona, Bruce tapping away at a tablet near their feet, and Rhodey sprawled on Catriona’s other side, a paperback book open in his hands. “What do you need?” Bruce asked calmly.

“Phil,” CJ said immediately. Tony pulled his cell phone out of his pocket but CJ shook his head. “No, I don’t want to – no.”

Carefully – checking with CJ as he did it – Tony put a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Want me to find another couch? I bet that blond beefcake stealing all the cuddles could be persuaded to move one in here for you.”

Steve started to extract himself from Misty and Catriona. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think of it when we were putting the nest together – JARVIS? Is there a suitable couch… somewhere?”

“There is a green microfiber couch located in a receiving room on the fourteenth floor that can be repurposed, Captain Rogers. My scans indicate that it will fit in the freight elevator. It also appears to be within your previously recorded weight capacity.”

“Aces,” Steve said, grinning. “I’ll just run up and get it then.” He disappeared down the hall to the nearly hidden freight elevator.

Bruce rose from the mattress and offered his hand to CJ. “Why don’t we just step aside a moment, until you can relax?” he suggested in his calm, deep voice.

The young man regarded Bruce’s hand a moment before sliding his own into it, and letting himself be drawn off to the far wall. Bruce angled his body to shield CJ from view, speaking quietly to him.

Tony saw the concern on Misty’s face and sank down onto the mattress next to her. “He’s okay, he just – we had a kind of intense conversation on the way home,” Tony told the squad leader softly. “I’m not surprised he needs some time.”

“Intense how?” Misty’s eyes locked on Tony’s, and her hand came up to touch her clan tag.

“He wanted to tell me a few things about himself.” Tony glanced at Rhodey. “I expect you know what parts. It wasn’t an easy talk, but he said he wanted to tell me, so…”

She searched his face – reading the tiny flickers of features as he spoke. Tony was very good at controlling his microexpressions, but he wasn’t trying right now. “Okay.” Misty swallowed hard, her eyes falling on CJ again. The blond had relaxed enough that he was leaning into Bruce now, though still sheltered behind him. Deciding her little brother was safe, she held out her arms to Tony.

He wrapped himself around her easily, tucking her against his body. “We’re all okay, sweet pea. Just relax.”

Steve returned, now balancing a couch across his back and walking sideways so as not to bump into the wall. He lowered it near the head of the bed – or at least, one of the long edges where they’d piled pillows – and started to pick through the blankets to find something appropriate for CJ. He glanced around, spying the odd tableau of Bruce guarding CJ, and decided he shouldn’t interrupt. Instead, he squirmed back onto the mattress between Misty and Catriona, which put him very near Tony and Rhodey. “Alright there, doll?” he asked, resting a hand on Misty’s back, just below Tony’s arms.

“Hormones are evil,” Misty groaned. “I have never been this emotional in my entire life.”

“I am afraid that is also normal,” Catriona soothed, adding her hand to Misty’s back, her fingers brushing against Steve. 

Rhodey smiled. “My sister Jasmine said something similar when she was pregnant with Ariel. Said it was like PMS and puberty cranked up to eleven – but that it was all worth it when she got to hold her baby girl.”

“Your sister’s named after a Disney princess, and she named her daughter after a Disney princess?” Misty asked incredulously.

“Jasmine’s named after the flower,” Tony answered, chuckling. “She did name Ariel after the mermaid, though. God, do you remember her mermaid phase, honeybear?” 

“Do I ever,” Rhodey groaned. “We spent most of that summer at the pool with her, trying to convince her that she wasn’t actually going to grow gills,” he explained to the others, shaking his head with a fond smile. “I was convinced I was going to drown, or this one would – oh. Sorry, martini.” 

Tony’d gone slightly pale, but gamely shook his head. “I’m okay.” He freed one hand from holding Misty and rubbed above the arc reactor.

Steve looked from Tony to Rhodey with an eyebrow raised, then to Misty. His face clearly said he wanted to ask, but wasn’t sure if he should.

“Ask J sometime,” Tony told the supersoldier quietly. “I don’t care if you know, but I don’t want to tell you and I don’t want to be around when he does, okay?”

“Yeah.” Steve scooted closer, one hand on Misty and the other on Tony’s knee.

What could have become an awkward silence was interrupted by CJ and Bruce approaching. “Sorry,” CJ apologized.

“Kid, how many times do I have to tell you – if you apologize for your crap, then I have to apologize for mine, and I’m just not playing that game,” Tony said, tipping his head to look up at the young man. “You better now?”

“Think so. Steadier. I should probably schedule an extra session with my therapist,” CJ added, wrapping himself up like a burrito in the blanket that Steve had laid out before curling up on the couch. He looked up at Bruce, then glanced at the couch.

Bruce had intended to be circumspect around Misty – to keep some kind of distance that wouldn’t worry the already emotional woman – but that faltered at the lost look in CJ’s eyes. With a sigh that he kept entirely internal, Bruce sat down on the edge of the mattress, up against the couch. It put his head and shoulders up against CJ’s legs, and the young man curled into him immediately. The gamma scientist reached up a hand to pat the blond hair as CJ shifted to a more prone position, his head coming to rest against Bruce’s shoulder. “And maybe a call with Phil, too?” Bruce suggested.

“I think that would be wise,” Catriona murmured. “I find that even with my connection to him, I desire to see him – and Natasha and Clint. Mayhap another video call? We,” she gestured to herself and Steve, “spoke briefly to him today, with young Cooper – but I wish for more time.”

“I’d like that.” CJ yawned. “Feels stupid to miss them so bad,” he added. Had he been less sleepy, he probably would have kept that comment internal.

“They’re your family,” Rhodey said simply. “You love them, and you miss them. That’s normal. You’ve also had a hell of a couple of days – cut yourself some slack.” He found his arm slipping around Tony’s waist again, with a slight squeeze that was meant to convey that the sentiment applied to his genius best friend as well. 

Misty yawned as well, tugging away from Tony to lay down against Steve. “Normal is just a setting on the washing machine,” she said, blinking sleepily.

Bruce snorted. “I like that.”

“Mama Diane says it. So does Sensei.” Misty reached her hand up to Tony, grabbing at the air between them until he chuckled and curled up behind her, his arm snugging around her waist. Rhodey snagged a blanket and handed it to Tony, handing several others around too before settling against Tony’s back. Catriona shifted until she was draped over Steve, with her back pressed against Bruce’s legs. 

“Goodnight, John Boy,” Tony whispered.

Steve huffed. “I don’t understand that reference.”

Tony chuckled, pulling his hand away from Misty briefly to pat Steve’s arm. “JARVIS, add ‘The Waltons’ to our list for Capsicle.”

“Certainly, Sir.” There was a pause before the AI added, very softly, “Sweet dreams.” 

~ * ~


	16. Tuesday, May 8, 2012

For a man that had led a solitary, nomadic life for more than seven years, it was amazing to Bruce how natural it felt to spend a third consecutive morning sharing a kitchen with Tony, serving up breakfast to a growing number of… teammates? Roommates? Bruce wasn’t sure what the best term was anymore. 

The tenor of the group was different today than it had been yesterday – quieter. Tony was intent on his cooking rather than babbling excitedly at Bruce or Rhodey. That concerned Bruce – in just a few short days he’d come to consider the eccentric man a friend, and this silence struck him as abnormal. Bruce met Rhodey’s eyes across the kitchen and tipped his head slightly to Tony. Rhodey responded with a subtle shake of his head. Very well. Bruce would be quietly supportive, then.

Darcy and Misty were talking quietly, with input from both CJ and Raj. Bruce couldn’t quite make out what they were saying over the spitting grease of frying bacon and scrambled eggs. Jane and Erik seemed to hover on the periphery of that conversation, oddly hesitant. It must not be science related, Bruce decided – if it were, both astrophysicists would be in the thick of it. Darcy appeared to be trying to lure Jane into conversation – perhaps the petite brunette was shy, rather than standoffish? It wouldn’t be the first time Bruce had met an academic who came off as brusque upon first meeting, only to discover it was a mask covering a timid but engaging personality. He hoped that was true of Jane – he wanted to like her. Erik was an extremely accomplished scientist and Bruce had admired his work for years – it would be awkward to work with him, if Bruce could not also work with Erik’s chosen partner. (That Jane was both his partner in science and in life was obvious to Bruce – and he was more than a little envious.)

Steve, Thor, and Rhodey made an odd trio, in Bruce’s mind – he couldn’t fathom what they might have in common. (Catriona was curled up in Thor’s lap, face buried in his neck – Bruce resolved to keep an eye on her this morning.) Soldiering, he guessed – the burden of command, maybe. He sucked in a breath and forced it out slowly, twitching his shoulders to relieve the tension that thoughts of professional soldiers always caused. He knew – with an absolute certainty that should have felt foreign – that neither Captain Rogers nor Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes would act in the way Betty’s father had… but that didn’t prevent his heartrate from picking up instinctively, or alleviate the sudden urge to flee.

“You okay, big guy?” Tony asked, almost whispering. 

Bruce’s eyes slid sideways, a small smile creeping onto his lips. It didn’t surprise him that Tony had noticed his reaction – or that he’d ask. “Yeah.” He flicked his gaze to the table where the soldiers sat. “Having to relearn not to be afraid of military men, that’s all.”

Tony’s gaze sharpened. He shifted a little closer to Bruce until their arms touched – Bruce manning the stove, Tony the waffle iron. “I’m not going to let that asshat get anywhere near you, Bruce.”

Warmth flooded Bruce. Tony had not only understood what Bruce’s fear was – being captured by General Ross – but refrained from saying the General’s name. That was a sensitivity that no longer seemed out-of-character from this brilliant chameleon of a man. Bruce leaned over and planted a kiss on Tony’s very surprised forehead. “Thank you,” he said, smiling. “I never doubted that.”

“Well, good.” To Bruce’s amusement, the tips of Tony’s ears were a little pink.

Darcy, watching from the table, had to fight back a squeal. (She’d never had to stifle so many squeals before in her life.) It was so damned cute to see the larger-than-life superheroes being so damned domestic. She’d been one of the millions that ate up coverage of both Tony Stark and Iron Man – had read everything she could get her hands on about Professor Banner and the Hulk. (Hey, he was a Culver alum and so were she and Janey – that made her feel oddly proprietary about the reserved scientist.) And then Thor… well, there hadn’t been press after New Mexico thanks to the jack-booted thugs at SHIELD, so she’d had to fill that particular craving with Norse mythology. None of it had prepared her for living with them. The press had them all wrong – particularly Tony.

And speaking of the press.

Darcy cleared her throat, trading a loaded look with Misty. They’d discussed who would broach the subject, and Darcy had pulled the short straw. (She’d actually lost five rounds of rock-paper-scissors to the blonde squad leader. She should have listened to Angie and not tried to outsmart a tactician.) Tony looked at her with a question in his eyes as he settled between Rhodey and Bruce, the last of the cooked waffles on his plate. “Um.” Darcy was intimidated by suddenly being the focus of all those very smart people (a few of them were also damned yummy.) “So, there was a meeting of the Media Monkey Meddlers last night—”

“Beg pardon?” Steve interrupted.

“Me, Misty, Angie, and JARVIS,” Darcy explained. “We’re basically your PR team.” At Steve’s utter lack of comprehension, she continued, “Public relations? Like… press secretary stuff?”

“Ah, hell.” Tony slumped in his chair, tilting sideways until his head rested on Rhodey’s shoulder. “I’d let myself forget, and I’m the one who brought it up last night, too.” He turned until his face was pressed into the soft fabric of Rhodey’s Air Force t-shirt, muffling his words. “Alright, what did you come up with?”

The young woman took a deep, bracing breath. “We need to do a press conference. Or – you and Steve do, really.”

Steve shot Misty a half-horrified, half-resigned look. “Why me?”

Misty poked at her waffle with her fork, not meeting his eyes. “I’m sorry, Steve, but it really does have to be you and Tony. He’s got the charisma and the gravitas, the showmanship – you’ve got the steadiness and abject honesty. We need both. It’s not smart to use Bruce as the public face – no offense – ”

“None taken.”

“ – and Thor’s court manners will come across as condescending until we’ve gotten a chance to either acclimate the public to them, or update some of his phrases.” Misty smiled apologetically at Thor. “No offense intended to you, either.”

Thor smiled, just a little. “I understand.” He shifted in his chair, settling Catriona more comfortably in his lap. The druid was wan and listless in his arms, and not participating much in the conversation.

“And we really can’t wait much longer,” Darcy bulled on, glancing between Steve and Tony. “Not just because of the Twitter stuff with the threesome – ”

“Triad,” Misty, CJ, and Raj corrected in unison.

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. Not just because of the triad stuff, but… look, Tony was right. People are asking why there hasn’t been a response from the Avengers. There’s been a lot of talk about whether there really is a team, or if it was a fluke.”

“Damn it.” Tony rubbed the heel of his hand over his chest, above the arc reactor. “I really wanted to be wrong about that.”

“JARVIS put us in touch with some reporters we could trust, and we’ve got kind of a general outline of what you’re likely to be asked.” Misty met Steve’s eyes again. “And some of it, you aren’t going to like. Tony’s got experience dodging questions – do you think you can manage that?”

Steve closed his eyes briefly. “Doll, there are some questions I’ve been dodgin’ my whole life – I can manage.” His eyes opened and he forced a smile. “’Sides, I’m a good Brooklyn boy – dodgin’ is in my blood.”

Tony’s eyebrows drew together, but Rhodey’s hand on his knee stopped him from asking Steve what questions those might be. Another time, he promised himself. Instead, he tried to lighten the tone. “If you want me to buy the Dodgers back from LA, I’ll make it happen.”

“You wouldn’t—” Raj began but cut himself off. “Yeah, nevermind. You totally would.”

“’Preciate that,” Steve said, leaning around Rhodey to pat Tony’s hand. “But it wouldn’t be the same.”

“We were thinking of a quick statement and a Q & A session,” Darcy bowled on. “Couple dozen reporters, camera crews. The optics would be best down at one of the recovery sites – ”

“No.” Tony’s voice was sharp, decisive. “Absolutely not.”

Darcy huffed, crossing her arms over her breasts. “We need to do this press conference, Tony!”

“I’m not arguing that.” Tony met Darcy’s eyes and held them. “I know we need to address the press. But I’m not going to turn someone else’s tragedy into my own photo op.” He paused, never breaking eye contact with the poli-sci major. “I’m not that man anymore.”

“You never were,” Rhodey murmured. Tony raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t give me that look. You know damned well it was H-bomb and Iron Monger that played that card. You never chose to do it.”

Tony looked down, reaching beneath the table to link his pinky finger with Rhodey’s. “The point stands. I’m not doing it. That’s not how we’re going to present the Avengers to the world. I say we use the foot of the Tower here – or do it in front of SINY – Stark Industries New York Headquarters. Here would be my preference.”

Steve tipped backwards in his chair, balancing on the rear two feet. “Walk me through your reasoning – why here, and not at your company?”

“This building has visible damage,” Tony began ticking points off on his fingers, releasing Rhodey’s hand to do so. “That gives Darcy the optics she wants – but nobody died in this building, and it’s mine so no one else is going to feel that sting. A lot of press briefings went out about it because of the arc reactor – the building’s self-powered. If it weren’t for the whole alien invasion thing, it would have been the biggest news for a week.” Tony tilted his head, looking at Steve. “There’s also the added fact that this is our home. Even if we don’t let the journalists inside – and I lean towards actually having them in the lobby – it’s making it clear that we’re not hiding. And if they’re in the building…” he pointed upwards.

“If they are within the confines of Avengers Tower, I will be able to assist in the coordination,” JARVIS finished smoothly. “Sir has not installed me at SINY. I would be of limited use there, though Sir would be able to communicate with me. Here, I can control a great many more factors.”

Misty tapped her fingers briefly on the table, drawing attention to herself. “There’s one more element at play there – because this isn’t about Stark Industries. This is about the Avengers. If we do it here, we draw that line. Put Tony and Steve up there side-by-side, as equals. Make it clear that this isn’t an adjunct function of SI. You can talk about the recovery work SI is funding – but emphasize that the Avengers are working with SI, with the Maria Stark Foundation, with NYPD and NYFD – that we’re independent.”

Steve let his chair settle back onto all four legs and leaned forward on his elbows on the table. He folded his hands together and pressed his chin to them. “I’ve got some conditions before I agree to this.” He let his eyes circle the table, making brief eye contact with each of them. “One – somebody runs this by Agent Coulson, makes sure this ain’t gonna hose up his plans.”

“I’ll talk to Sensei,” Misty offered immediately. “He’ll sign off on it, but he might have some good suggestions. CJ and I need to call him today anyway.”

“Two – somebody runs this by Pepper.” Steve looked to Tony. “I’m sorry to bring her up – I really am – but iffin’ there’s gonna be backlash against Stark Industries, she should hear about it aforehand. It don’t gotta be you – prob’ly shouldn’t be you. But she oughta be told.”

Rhodey lifted a hand. “I’ll call her. You’re right, Steve,” he added more quietly. “And I wouldn’t have thought of it.”

Steve shook his head. “I learned my lesson about tryin’ to keep a formidable dame like Miss Potts outta the loop a long time ago – and it only took Pegs emptyin’ a clip into my shield for the lesson to stick, too.” He quirked a smile. “Three. I ain’t wearing the uniform SHIELD gave me.”

Tony nodded slowly. “Good call. Not that the public knows it was SHIELD, but – it’s got a distinct feeling to it, and not one we want to encourage. Too bad we haven’t had time to rustle up a proper Army uniform for you – ”

Speaking for the first time since they’d started breakfast, Catriona cleared her throat. “No. We do not wish to visibly represent any group which could appear to hold sway over us – only our own. Perhaps at some point in the future, we will have something akin to a uniform but for now… I would suggest that you dress in similar styles. Not your usual colors,” she continued, her head still lolling against Thor’s shoulder. “Red is too violent. Black would be too funereal. Perhaps a medium blue?”

“A shade or two lighter than navy?” Tony suggested, looking at Steve. “I can get a tailor to fit you with a suit – nothing as flashy as what I’d normally order,” he added hastily. “Blue suit, white shirt. Silver cufflinks, maybe a very thin silver pinstripe?”

Darcy hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah. And you can both pull off waistcoats – take advantage of it.”

“Four.” Steve pointed to Darcy. “We’re gonna need at least one other person with us. It don’t gotta be you, but it ain’t gonna be Misty, and it shouldn’t be Thor or Bruce.” Misty began to protest, and Steve shook his head. “I can’t, doll. It ain’t ‘cause you can’t protect yourself – it’s me.” He met her gaze, his own open and honest. “Iffin’ I’m worryin’ about you up there – about some idiot with a gun or even just the wrong people findin’ out where you are – Misty, you gotta believe me. I’d do the same damn thing if you were a Barnes. Either of ‘em.”

“Steve’s right.” Tony caught Misty’s eye and smiled, just a little. “We do need to have some kind of assistant or handler visible. If Agent were here… well no, probably not him. Using Darcy makes her look like an employee or aide. Putting you up there… even if it weren’t for the cricket…” Tony’s smile widened just a little. “You’re enough like Agent that you put out that same boss aura, and it doesn’t take a genius to see that Steve and I are both defer to you. It changes the vibe.”

Reluctantly, Misty nodded. “Fine. But I’ll be nearby on a comm, in your ear.”

“If you hadn’t offered, I’d have asked,” Steve said. “Knowin’ you’re in my ear to translate pop culture makes it a lot easier to face this.”

“Do you want me out there?” CJ asked Steve. “Or Raj? This is when I wish Chuckles were here – he’d be perfect.”

Tony and Steve traded a long look. Steve flicked his eyes downward, conceding the conversation to Tony. The engineer twisted in his seat to face CJ, leaning forward to see around Bruce. “Kid… I can’t put you out there – and it’s for completely different reasons.”

“I can handle myself—” CJ began, bristling.

“I know that.” Tony held up a hand. “If I didn’t think you could, you wouldn’t be reporting to Beta team with Capsicle and Point Break.” He weighed his words very carefully here. “Junior…” Tony didn’t notice with his eyes fixed on CJ, but Misty and Raj exchanged a curious glance and a pair of hand signals at his use of the word. “I don’t know of a gentler way to say this. You’re too young and pretty for me to put you up on a stage.” CJ blanched. “I know – I know.” He extended his hand in front of Bruce, who leaned back to give him space. His index finger came up, and CJ pressed a shaky finger to his. “Just because I haven’t been a playboy in awhile doesn’t mean that’s not the conclusion people would jump to – and I really don’t want to find out just how far the good Captain would go, if somebody had the balls to suggest it out loud.”

“Pretty fuckin’ far,” Steve muttered. 

It wasn’t Raj’s usual role to play defuser, but without Chuck or Lance here, he felt it fell to him. He turned to Misty. “Ten bucks says Steve cusses on camera first.”

“Oh, you’re on,” Misty said immediately. She shot Raj a grateful look and a quick, subtle hand signal. “You can take overwatch, CJ – not that I really think anybody’d be stupid enough to bring a weapon to a press conference at Avengers Tower, but you’re our faireoir – if anybody’s gonna see something, it’s you.”

CJ smiled, though it was still strained. “I can do that.”

Bruce casually slid his hand to the back of CJ’s neck, feeling the sharpshooter almost immediately begin to relax. “When are we doing this, then?” he asked.

Darcy bit her lip. “I don’t think we can make it happen today, but – tomorrow?”

“Noon on Wednesday is a pretty solid slot,” Tony offered. “It catches both East Coast and West Coast time zones, makes it clear we’re trying to be accessible. Get the okay from Agent and – and Pepper,” he hesitated just slightly on her name, and felt Rhodey bump their legs together in comfort, “ – and then start lining up attendees. I don’t remember the fire marshal's limit on occupancy for the lobby, but we can use that as a way to control how much press is here. Raj – you want to run the ID checks at the door, with JARVIS’s help?”

“Sure.” Raj ran a hand through his hair. “If we’re going for a unified look – Darcy and I should be dressed similar to you and Steve, too. Maybe without the silver touches, but the same blue and white.”

“Good thinking, Doc,” Misty said. She tapped her fingers on the table top. “Can your tailor manage that, Tony?”

The engineer snorted. “Of course. I’ll give Armand a call once we split for the day – ” Tony twitched as his pocket vibrated, and he extracted his cell phone. “Agent?” Tony greeted. “Everything okay in farm country?” There was a pause while he listened to Phil’s answer before rising from the table. “That sounds like you need me in the shop – hang on.” Tony covered the mouthpiece of the phone. “I gotta go be a genius for Agent. And you’re still on the hook for telling him about the thing tomorrow, Buffy.” He shot her a look, and she nodded reluctantly. “Have JARVIS buzz me in an emergency, otherwise I’ll have him let you know when I’m done with whatever.” He’d been seated between Rhodey and Bruce so it seemed perfectly natural to him to kiss each man’s cheek before heading for the elevator.

“Guess that’s our cue,” Steve said, rising from his seat. “Thor, CJ – another day as the Blond Squad with Beta Team?”

“Aye,” Thor agreed. “I shall change into the appropriate garments and meet you in the garage.” CJ rose too, flicking a two fingered salute to Steve that made the supersoldier smile. Thor stood carefully, his arms still full of Lady Catriona. She made a soft noise of protest, but he murmured to her in a language unfamiliar to the others, and she desisted. He smoothed his hand over her unruly curls before departing.

“Janey and I will be in the astro lab,” Erik said, rising too. He folded his napkin neatly, placing it beside his plate. “Darcy? Are you ours today, or will you be needed for your…” his eyes twinkled, “media monkeying?”

Darcy shrugged. “I can do some of it from your lab. JARVIS can be the go-between for me and Buffy. Right, J-Man?”

“It is my pleasure to assist you, Miss Lewis.”

“KP is on us then,” Raj said. He started gathering up the dishes, batting away Misty and Catriona’s hands. “Until Tony’s free in the shop. What do you think Chief wanted, Buff?”

Misty shrugged. “Not a damned clue.”

“He is requesting emergency beacons for Cooper and Lila,” Catriona answered, her voice still quiet. “Dhearthair – Clint is quite concerned for their safety.”

Rhodey joined Raj gathering up the dishes. He raised an inquiring eyebrow at Bruce, who flicked his eyes to Catriona with a small frown. Rhodey nodded slightly and didn’t press the issue. “It’s too early for me to call Pep – ”

“Miss Potts is already at her desk at SILA, Colonel Rhodes,” JARVIS interrupted. “She had an early morning conference call.”

“Okay then. I’m going to go do that,” Rhodey said, looking to Raj and Misty. “If you two don’t mind the KP?”

Misty grinned. “Nope.” She stuck her tongue out at Raj. “See, he knows better than to try and keep me from helping.”

“Very mature, Buffy,” Raj drawled. He started slotting plates into the dishwasher. Misty joined him at the sink, filling it with items that had to be hand washed.

Bruce waited until Rhodey had departed – having made a comment about borrowing Tony’s office – before he stood and rounded the table to sit in the seat Raj had vacated next to Catriona. He held out his hand and she immediately slid her own into it. Over the noise of running water and chattering Scoobies, Bruce doubted they could be overheard. “Catriona,” Bruce began, running his thumb over the back of her hand. There was a fine tremor running beneath the skin. “Will you tell me what’s wrong?”

“Merely a setback in my recovery,” Catriona assured him, trying for a smile. It more resembled a grimace.

“You aren’t going to regain lost ground if you don’t eat.” He hadn’t seen her take so much as a bite – just drink two cups of tea. (Not that he would admit to how closely he’d monitored her.) “Do you want me to make you something easier to digest? Oatmeal?”

She looked down at her hand, still cradled in his. “I am not certain of my muscle control,” Catriona confessed finally.

“Okay.” Bruce used his free hand to stroke her hair back from her face. “And you didn’t want your family to worry about you more, so you tried to keep that a secret, hmm?” She nodded. Bruce chuckled and slid forward to kiss her forehead. “You silly pixie.” Carefully, he slid his arms around her until he could lift her delicate frame onto his lap. She curled into him, tucking her head against his neck. “Misty?” He raised his voice to be heard over the cleaning. “Would you bring me a plate of leftovers? Doesn’t really matter what.”

Misty shot him a look, but relaxed almost at once. She’d noticed Catriona’s hesitance to eat, but hadn’t had a chance to tackle the issue yet… Bruce had beaten her to it. Misty put together a plate of waffles, fresh fruit, and then pulled out the protein mix that Tony favored when he made smoothies.

“Just the food for now,” Bruce said. “Please. She’ll eat again later.”

Plate and cutlery in hand, Misty crossed to Bruce’s side. He put the plate within easy reach and started cutting the waffle into small bites. When she realized what she was doing, she took over – as her hands were not currently occupied with a druid. She handed Bruce the fork when she’d finished, then dipped down to look Catriona in the eyes. “Bruce is right,” she said softly. “You’re a silly pixie – but I love you just the way you are.” She kissed Catriona’s forehead in almost the same way Bruce had. She might have said more, but her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She plucked it out and read the message, immediately shooting off a reply. “Gotta go.” She ran her hand over Catriona’s hair. “Eat and rest, or it won’t be Sensei I call to tattle – it’ll be Mama Diane.”

“You do not play fair,” Catriona mumbled against Bruce’s neck.

“Nope.” Misty snapped out the word and grinned before stepping into the elevator.

(Raj decided he would just keep washing dishes and pretending he wasn’t there – it looked like Bruce had the pixie well in hand and… hey, somebody had to do KP.)

Bruce fed Catriona patiently and competently, never making her feel helpless or foolish. She appreciated that… but with every bite, she could sense that he had not yet said his piece.

When they were down to a few bites of waffle and a handful of blueberries, Bruce cleared his throat. “I don’t know what you did to set yourself back,” he said, glancing sideways at her. “It doesn’t really matter, ultimately. But I’d like you to think about something for me.”

“Alright…?”

“Your primary duty right now – to the Goddess, to your family, and to yourself – is to heal.” Bruce set aside the empty plate, shifting in the chair to make her more comfortable on his lap. “There is really no predicting when She might need you again.” His tone softened, becoming almost hypnotic. He idly noticed that Raj’s washing had slowed, and guessed the medic was listening as well. “I know that you’ve lived a very solitary life – I’m familiar with that,” he added with a small laugh, stroking his hand down her back. “It’s an adjustment to remember that others need you – others aside from Gaia. But they – we – do.” He kissed her forehead again. “It’s alright to need us in return, bean feasa. I know that you understand the satisfaction of serving others – allow us to experience that too.”

Catriona nodded against his neck, her mind whirring. Bruce had no education in the Gaelic language – he’d asked her to translate words before. She had no idea how he could know the term ‘bean feasa’ – few outside Celtic scholars truly did anymore. At one time, it had been a term of respect similar to being called a shaman or medicine woman in North America. It translated to ‘wise woman’ or ‘woman of knowing’ in Ireland, and she’d worn that title for centuries… but how would he know it now?

She resolved to ask the Goddess – and in the meantime, to accept the care which was offered so freely.

~ * ~


	17. Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Misty kept her expression calm as she left the kitchen, not wanting to alarm Raj, Bruce, or Catriona – but Phil’s message had concerned her. It hadn’t had a lot of details – he was on the phone with Tony, Tony was quite upset, and Phil wanted someone to be available to hug him. Misty had noted he’d sent the message to Catriona as well, but given the druid’s current fragile appearance, she doubted Catriona would raise any objection to her taking the duty.

With the elevator doors shut, she tipped her head up to speak to JARVIS. “Take me to Tony, please. Sensei says he’s upset. Is it about Pepper?”

The elevator began to move downwards. “I believe that the current distress is tied to Agent Coulson’s insistence that Sir is a part of his family,” JARVIS replied. “They were discussing Gaelic names as well.”

Oh. Well, Misty could understand that – the whole clan thing could be really overwhelming, particularly if you didn’t have a lot of positive experience with families. “Thanks, J,” she murmured as the elevator doors opened again, this time onto Tony’s workshop.

She’d expected to find the genius at one of the dozen or so workbenches, and she did – in a fashion. He wasn’t working. Tony had sunk to a seat on one of the rolling stools, leaning forward on his elbows. His face was hidden by his hands, but she could hear his breath catching – see his shoulders shaking.

“C’mere, Tony.” Misty stepped up to him, resting her hand between his shoulder blades – and when that failed to provoke immediate action, wrapping her arms around him and tugging until his cheek was pressed against her abdomen. “I’ve got you now, athair. Come on them – come sit down here with me and the cricket.” She tugged until he rose reluctantly, following her over to the futon. “There you go.” Tony had sat obediently at one end of the futon. Misty sat down on the other, then tugged at him again until he was curled up on his side with his head in her lap. There were tears flowing unchecked down his cheeks, but very little noise. Misty wondered how old he’d been when he’d been forced to learn how to cry silently. “You just hold on as tight as you need,” Misty reassured him as his hand came up to press against her belly, near his face. She didn’t think he could actually hear anything from the cricket, but the contact seemed to soothe him. She began running her hands through his hair and down his back. “I’m not going anywhere.” That was always his fear, wasn’t it? Misty wondered. Not to be unloved – but not to be loved enough for people to stay. “Sensei, if you’re done with the Tin Man I’m going to have JARVIS hang up. I think we need some quiet time.”

Tony made another soft, wounded sound as Phil answered. “I’m done, grasshopper.” There was a pause, during which time Tony squirmed to get even closer to her, to soak up the comfort she offered. “Thank you.”

Misty smiled and started to respond, but was forestalled by Tony. His voice was slightly muffled against Misty, but the words were still clear. “Hey, um… Phil? Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Phil promised – and JARVIS ended the call.

Misty reached for the afghan that lived on the back of the futon and wrapped it around Tony, still making soft, soothing noises. There was a time when she’d have thought that what he needed was words – experience had taught her otherwise. Right now, what Tony needed most was to be held. While she stroked her fingers through his hair and hummed nonsense sounds, Misty rolled over the interaction in her head – and what she knew of the others, as they’d come into the clan. She’d gotten in on the ground floor, so to speak – when it was just the triad and Catriona. It hadn’t really been a family yet then, and still she’d been rocked by Phil’s unconditional love. He’d immediately offered to stand in for her late father, and she’d never doubted that. If she and Maria were ever to marry, Misty knew absolutely that Phil would walk her down the aisle.

“I’m sorry,” Tony said against her belly. Misty’s eyes focused on him, stroking her fingers over his face. 

“Don’t be.” She bent – awkwardly – to kiss his forehead. “I get it. I call it the Coulson effect, and it isn’t limited to Sensei. His parents and sisters and nieces and nephews all have it too.” Tony started to pull away, but she held him in place. “Don’t get up on my account, or because you think you’re intruding. I meant it, athair – you hold on as long as you need to.”

Tony settled back down, curling tighter around her. “Did he mean it?”

Misty tucked the afghan tighter around his shoulders. “Sensei rarely says things he doesn’t mean – but you’ll have to be more specific. All I heard was you saying you wanted something. I got a general overview from Sensei and JARVIS, but not the details.”

“That I… belonged with you,” Tony said softly. “With the family. That he considered me one of his.”

“Absolutely,” Misty answered immediately. “You do, and you are, and you’re mine too.” She rubbed her thumb over his cheek. “Sensei would never lie about that, Tony. He rarely lies at all, and never to his family.”

“I just don’t understand.” Though he was still muffled against her, Misty could feel that some of the tension was easing in his shoulders. “I’d have helped anyway. I mean, offered you guys a place to stay, funding. He didn’t have to… I don’t expect…”

“It isn’t about your money or your Tower,” Misty murmured. “It isn’t about fighting together either, really.” She paused. “When the Scooby Squad was first formed, back before any of us knew anything about the triad – Clint said something to us after a training session.” She tipped her head back, smiling as she recalled the exact words. “’Tony Stark’s superpower might be money and building mechanical marvels, but Agent Coulson’s superpower is putting the right people together to make a team that’s stronger than its individual parts. Personally, I’d lay money down on building teams over tech any day.”’ She chuckled a little. “Clint’s almost always right about Sensei – and he was right then. Sensei’s always known what people were needed where – Mama Diane says he’s been doing that since he was a kid. And more than that – once Sensei claims you, he’s never going to walk away. He will always be bedrock in your life – the steady foundation you can build on. It doesn’t matter to him at all where you come from, what kind of baggage you’re carrying… when he picks you for his team, it’s because he sees something in you that will make the whole of it stronger.” Misty fished her clan tag out from beneath her shirt, rubbing her thumb over the engraving. “That goes for the rest of us, too. This thing – whether you call it our team, or our family, or our clan – it’s one of the most important relationships in my life. Maria, the cricket, and my clan,” she said, stroking her fingers through Tony’s hair. “You’re a part of my clan now, Tony – and I’m just as stubborn as Sensei about the people I care about.”

Tony fell silent again, and Misty let him. It was overwhelming, really, if Tony was honest with himself. They used words like love and forever and family so damned casually… but never carelessly. Thinking back, Tony tried to figure out the moment when these people had stopped feeling like strangers. It had to have been before he invited them here – maybe before the Battle was even over? 

He could feel with crystalline clarity the moment he realized that Agent Coulson was more than just his handler. Sitting at a conference room table on the disabled helicarrier with Steve, hearing Fury pontificate on what Agent had died for – Tony had felt a deluge of grief that had staggered him. He understood what Misty meant, about Agent being bedrock. He’d been the same for Tony, in his understated way. Not every mission that Iron Man took on was run by SHIELD – and of his SHIELD missions, not all of them had been run by Agent… but when he was reporting to Agent, there was… a sense of security. Tony knew without ever needing to hear the words that Agent wouldn’t leave him high and dry. Knew that Agent would never let anyone else do it, either.

Had he really trusted the others because Agent did? It probably helped, but… well, it was hard for him not to trust Hulk and Bruce when Jolly Green had plucked him out of the air and saved him from becoming an iron pancake on the asphalt. Hard not to like Catriona after finding out she was the reason Agent was still among the living. Hard not to feel some warmth towards Steve once he’d held the young man’s head against his shoulder while Steve shook with grief. Hard not to feel compassion for Thor, who’d not only fought against the brother he’d been raised with and seen him delivered into confinement, but had also lost a romantic relationship.

Then there were the kids – CJ, who cared enough to make sure Tony knew that the distance he kept wasn’t Tony’s fault. Raj, who despite his reluctance trusted Tony to help him resolve his problems with the mob.

And Misty, who hugged him as freely as she did any of the others – and who was even now comforting him in a way very ever had. Rhodey. Mama Rhodes. Ana Jarvis. Maybe his mother… 

“Better now, athair?” Misty whispered, her fingers feathering through his hair. “You’re breathing better. Steadier. I was beginning to think I’d have to call for reinforcements.”

“Better,” Tony agreed. He nuzzled against her. “Will you tell me what that means?”

Misty paused. “Only if you promise to remember it’s meant with love.”

There was that word again. “Okay.”

“Athair is Gaelic for father,” Misty murmured, her hand still stroking.

Tony’s eyebrows drew together. “If you’re going to bestow that on anyone, shouldn’t it be Agent?”

“I already have something special to call him. There’s nobody else in my life I call Sensei – or Chief, for that matter.” She tapped his nose. “I had a dad. I’ve never had an athair before.”

“I’m not exactly father material, Misty.” Tony couldn’t look up at her, couldn’t risk eye contact. “I didn’t have the best example.” She didn’t answer immediately, and he found himself continuing. “There are legions of people that will tell you I’m a bastard. A playboy. The fucking Merchant of Death. You shouldn’t – I shouldn’t be anywhere near you.”

She didn’t react in any way he’d expected.

She laughed.

It was more than just laughing – it started as a low chuckle until the whole futon was shaking with her laughter – and Tony was completely and utterly baffled… and almost hurt. He was trying to be honest with her, why…? He sat up, starting to edge away from her.

“Nuh-uh, no escaping.” Misty wrapped her arms around him tightly. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed, I just – it’s utterly ridiculous, athair. The idea that you’re a threat to me is the funniest thing I’ve heard in days.” He was still stiff in her arms. Misty dealt with his reluctance by crawling onto his lap, resting her head on his shoulder and pulling one of his hands up to rest on her baby bump. “Tony.” Her voice was laced with amused affection, and her nose bumped against his neck. “Did you know you’re one of a whopping three people who have ever been able to help me during a panic attack? Maria, Sensei, and you. And you never hesitated. Am I supposed to find that threatening?” She nestled her head closer to him. “You willingly brought us into your sanctum to sleep in the safest place you knew—”

“I shouldn’t have, the lab isn’t safe for the cricket—”

“—and then you put down red duct tape so I’d know where not to go in the lab, even after we’d moved the nest into another room. A nest, I might add, that you never once hesitated to create or join – because you knew we needed your comfort as much as you’d admit you needed ours.” Misty covered his hand on her belly. “You have an ultrasound machine just sitting, waiting, for my ducks to be here so that we can see our child. And… I cannot stress this enough, athair, this is absolutely the biggest shiny sign of all signs in my family – you cooked for us.”

Tony squirmed. “I cook sometimes.”

“Right. That’s why it shocked your closest friends.” Misty raised an eyebrow, though he couldn’t see her face. “How many times have you cooked – for somebody other than Rhodey – in the past ten years?”

“Um. I made Pep an omelet.” Once. Last year, while he was trying to work out how to tell her he was dying…

“And yet you brought out secret Rhodes family recipes to make us the best fried chicken I’ve ever had – and I’ve eaten at both Sensei and Mama Diane’s tables.” She reached up to tap his nose. “You’ve done more than offer us a place to crash – more than a sanctuary. You’ve offered up your home, and your heart.” Her expression and tone sobered. “I know you think you don’t know how to do this family thing, but so far… you’re doing great. And guess what?” She stretched up to kiss the bottom of his jaw. “Our patriarch is one of the best teachers – Senseis – there is. We’ll teach you.”

He kissed her forehead before tucking her under his chin. He still didn’t feel like he deserved this – them. Tony worried that tying himself to these people would put them in danger, like it had Pepper… but he hadn’t lied when he’d blurted out the words to Phil.

He wanted to be a part of this family so badly it ached.

“We don’t have to tell anybody that I melted down over this, do we?” Tony asked softly. “I’ll probably talk to Rhodey but – if anybody else asks, can this be about Pep?”

“Sure, athair.” Misty yawned and rubbed her cheek against him. “I need to get up, or I’m going to fall asleep… and Beta team needs me.”

Tony made a soft whistling noise, and DUM-E rolled over with a StarkTab in his claw and an earpiece looped over the arm. “You can work from here for a while,” Tony murmured. “J, you can let the others know they’re welcome whenever. DUM-E… bring me another tablet, please.”

As the robot complied, Misty slipped the earpiece in and chuckled. “You were already a father,” she told Tony. At his raised eyebrow, she pointed at the bot who was now proudly presenting the StarkTab to his maker. “They’re just inorganic children.”

~ * ~

Rhodey wished that Tony hadn’t commandeered the workshop for his call to Agent Coulson – Rhodey would far rather make his own call in that room than in this… showcase of an office. It was down one floor from the penthouse, not far from the massive office he’d outfitted for Pepper – and it didn’t surprise Rhodey at all that he’d finished Pepper’s office first. Christ, if Rhodey’d ever have mentioned wanting one, he could be pretty sure he’d have an office here too – and Tony would have slotted it ahead of his own, too.

Rubbing his forehead, Rhodey dropped into the leather executive chair and, just to be ornery, propped his legs up on the massive desk. “JARVIS? This room set up for video calls?”

In answer, a window darkened until it was as opaque as any computer screen. “Shall I bring up a video call with Miss Potts, Colonel Rhodes?”

“In a minute.” Rhodey scrubbed a hand through his short hair. “Hey – J – you’re not, like… mad at her, are you?” It was the first time he’d been alone with the AI since the break-up. “I mean – I remember that time you got pissed off at Happy for that thing with the Ducati…”

“I am not angry at Miss Potts,” JARVIS said after a moment. “I feel… a surprising compassion towards her. I do not believe that she intended to hurt Sir, just as I do not believe that Sir intended to hurt Miss Potts. The statistical analysis of their romantic relationship never provided particularly high odds, but I had… hoped.”

Rhodey smiled, a little crookedly. “You and me both.” He blew out a breath. “Tony doesn’t have the best luck with romance. He’s too much for most people.” JARVIS did not answer immediately. Rhodey felt the air in the office shifting, realizing the temperature was being dropped to his preferred ambient temperature, with the faintest whiff of citrus. Rhodey felt his shoulders relaxing against the leather chair. “Guess it’s just you and me again, huh?”

“While I am very grateful to have your assistance in caring for Sir – I do not believe we are alone in that mission any longer,” JARVIS answered, dimming the office lights three percent and noting Colonel Rhodes’ immediate further relaxation. Perhaps, once the Colonel returned to the company of others, he could suggest a cup of the Lady Catriona’s headache remedy – this office was not equipped for tea. “Sir responds well to the physical reassurance of Miss Summers and Lady Catriona, as well as the verbal reassurances of Agent Coulson.”

“Yeah.” Rhodey sighed and rubbed at his face again. “Okay. Ready to face the dragoness herself – don’t ever tell her I called her that.”

The screen flickered for a moment – Rhodey knew that JARVIS did that intentionally, as an indication that he was working – before resolving into a picture of Pepper, sitting at her desk in the Stark Industries LA office. “Jim?!” She leaned forward, her eyes wide. “Is everyone okay? Tony?”

Rhodey held up his hand. “Easy, Pep. This isn’t – this is more of a professional call. Everybody’s fine, Tones included.”

Pepper blew out a breath and leaned back in her chair. He could almost hear her count to ten – a familiar ritual for calming herself, and one he’d seen her do for more than a decade. “Okay. Sorry. I just – ”

Assumed that Tony would have crumbled without her, Rhodey would bargain – but that would be uncharitable. “He’s fine,” Rhodey repeated.

“Believe it or not, the panic was more generalized,” Pepper admitted, running a hand over her hair. “They’re all… they get to you.” She took a deep breath and a sip of coffee from a dark red mug. “Okay. Is this Tony-professional business or SI-professional business?”

“A little of both? The Avengers are having a press conference tomorrow—”

Pepper cut him off with a sharp shake of her head. “I don’t have time to organize a press conference, Jim—”

He raised both eyebrows. “Virginia.” It halted her speech immediately – there were fewer things she hated more than being called by her legal first name. “Nobody asked you to do it. We’ve got it under control.”

“You do?” Pepper asked – almost involuntarily. Her chair tipped back as she leaned even further away from the screen. “I mean—”

“Darcy, Misty, one of Coulson’s other people, and JARVIS are handling the arrangements – and we’ve talked it over as a group.” Rhodey wasn’t even aware that he was using the plural – that he’d aligned himself with this family as easily as he’d accepted Tony all those years ago. “But Steve insisted you be given a heads up, because he figures – rightly – that there’ll be blowback on SI.”

“Steve – okay.” Pepper raised her hand briefly and he could see her lips twitching as she counted to ten again. “Okay.” One more repetition, this time with her eyes closed – and when she opened them, he recognized that he wasn’t speaking to Pepper anymore, but to Miss Potts. “When is this scheduled for?”

Rhodey pursed his lips briefly, trying to decide whether to call Pepper on her attitude. Ultimately, he decided to let it go, for now. “Tomorrow, noon. Our time. Here in the Tower, in the lobby – J and Raj will run security. Darcy’s going to be their visible handler with Misty on comms. CJ’s on overwatch – Tony and Steve will be the ones in the hot seat. If you want, we can send you the list of expected questions and what we’re… kind of hoping to get Tony to say.”

Her mask of professionalism slipped enough for a wry grin. “Good luck with that.” She picked up a red pen from her desk and began tapping it on the rim of her jade green coffee cup.

“Believe it or not, it’s more Rogers that’s the wild card,” Rhodey said candidly, rubbing the back of his head. “Last time he did any press was before paparazzi and tabloids… and before he lost… everyone. It wouldn’t take much more than an indelicate question about certain people in his past to flip his switch from stoic commander to Brooklyn bruiser.”

Pepper snorted. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” She pointed the pen at him in emphasis, shifting to tap it on her desk blotter

Rhodey grinned. “Raj bet Misty ten bucks that Steve cusses on camera first. You want a piece of that?”

“Ten on Tony,” she shot back. “But I say he holds out until the hour mark.” The familiarity of betting on Tony’s bad behavior made her grin and relax into her chair, the pen moving to tap at the arm instead. “Are you allowing it to be live streamed?”

“I have no idea – but you can probably get a feed from JARVIS if you want.” Rhodey tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair, wondering if her fidgeting was contagious. “Wouldn’t object to seeing a statement from SI agreeing with us, either.”

She nodded slowly. “SI’s never been shy about public support for Iron Man – it’s not a stretch to publicly support his allies, too.” Pepper paused, the pen stilled in midair. “Would my… personal support be welcome, or…?”

“I’m never gonna turn you away for that,” Rhodey said, very gently. “Whether it’s you supporting Tony, Iron Man, or the Avengers as a whole.” He paused. “You’re still our friend, Pep.”

Her smile was a little shaky. “Am I? Because you and I only ever had Tony in common—”

“We still do,” he interrupted. “Just because the two of you broke up doesn’t mean you’re not part of his life. You’re his CEO still.” Rhodey paused. “And you were his friend first. You both need space, and then I think… I think you can have that back.”

It didn’t escape her notice that Rhodey had shifted the conversation almost immediately away from his own friendship with her… or lack thereof, Pepper thought wistfully. She hadn’t spent much time considering her lack of emotional connections until the past few days. She had very few friends. Natasha, of course. Tony – and through him, Happy and Rhodey. JARVIS too, and Pepper thought she was probably one of only three people to honestly consider the AI a friend. There was a tentative friendship between her and her assistant at SI – but she knew it wasn’t the kind of connection she’d had with Tony. 

Watching Tony connect immediately and deeply with the Avengers and Coulson’s people reminded Pepper of how lonely her life was. Being twenty-six hundred miles away just reinforced the emotional distance. If she hadn’t been so quick to judge… could she have found friendship there too? It was too late to find out now.

“Send me the prepared remarks,” she answered instead, pushing aside the personal considerations. “And I’ll have JARVIS alert me when it goes live. SI will publish a statement shortly thereafter – I will too.” She slipped the pen into her marble desk organizer, giving it an extra pat as it was safely stowed where it belonged.

Rhodey hadn’t missed the flicker of pain in Pepper’s eyes, but he wasn’t going to push. If she wanted to focus on the professional, he would too. “Thanks, Pepper.” He swung his feet down off Tony’s desk and sat up. “I’ll buzz you afterwards to collect on that bet, Miss Potts – because you’re gonna lose.”

The trash-talk, though gentle, was familiar and comforting. “It’d be a novelty, for sure. Thanks for giving me the heads-up, Jim.”

“You got it.” JARVIS cut the connection, and Rhodey let his shoulders slump forward. 

“Are you alright, Colonel Rhodes?”

“Yeah.” Rhodey propped his elbows on his knees and rubbed at his scalp. “Do you have a way of getting a message to Agent Romanoff?”

The was a pause. “I do. To what purpose do you ask?”

Rhodey put the heels of his hands on his temples and squeezed, wishing it would banish the tension. “Pepper’s gonna need to talk to somebody, and she won’t think to reach out. I can’t be the one she talks to and neither can Tony. Hell would freeze over before Happy would have that conversation with her so… she needs Romanoff.”

“I shall see that she is notified.” There was a pause. “According to her online activity, she prefers to be identified as Agent Romanoff-Barton-Coulson.”

“Well, that’s going to get annoying.” Rhodey scrubbed at his face once more before rising. “What’s next on my agenda, J?”

“Sir has indicated your presence is welcome in the workshop if you desire to begin repairs of either the War Machine or Iron Man armor. Alternatively, I can summon a car for you to join Captain Rogers, Prince Odinson, and Agent Forrester in their recovery efforts.”

He shook his head. “Nah, not leaving Tones.” Rhodey gave himself one more minute of quiet before heading to the elevator. “Workshop please, JARVIS.”

The AI activated the elevator and directed it to the subbasement level that housed Sir’s workshop, entirely unsurprised as to Colonel Rhodes’ choice.

~ * ~

Every time he watched it, Steve was surprised and impressed by the transformation CJ managed. One moment he was Misty’s shy and damaged little brother – the next, he was an experienced field agent and sharpshooter who didn’t tolerate any guff from team leader or teammates. 

Steve was self-aware enough to realize he’d never had that kind of skill at dissembling. Wasn’t sure he wanted to develop it, either – but he recognized how valuable it was.

Though he never made the mistake again that he had that first day, Steve still kept an eye on CJ. He couldn’t help it. CJ was essentially Misty’s little brother, and Misty was Steve’s best friend. That made CJ his responsibility… sort of. Besides, Steve always felt steadier when he had someone else to care for. He’d spent most of his life worrying over Bucky – had added the Howlies to that, once he’d had them. This new team was filling the void, or starting to. Tending to their needs eased some of the worst of Steve’s heartache.

CJ accepted Steve’s attention with surprisingly good grace. Steve suspected this was because he was used to it – not necessarily from Steve, but he expected that Agent Coulson and Misty both would treat CJ very similarly in the field. The supersoldier tried to keep his efforts from interfering with the work of Beta Team – right up until one of the other men made a comment.

“Yo! Kid!” called the dusky bruiser who’d been introduced as Martinez. “Pretty boy!”

Steve had been able to accept ‘kid’ – but he saw CJ blanch at ‘pretty boy’ and that was just a step too far.

“Watch yourself, Martinez,” Steve growled. He stepped between CJ and the crewman, reaching behind himself to make sure CJ was alright. He felt more than heard Thor coming up beside him.

CJ cleared his throat. “It’s okay, Steve. He didn’t mean anything by it.” But it wasn’t Agent Forrester speaking then – Steve could hear the faint strains of the little brother in his voice, and that meant it really wasn’t okay.

“You gotta problem with a man admiring a pretty boy?” Martinez asked, his chin coming up pugnaciously.

Steve heard CJ cursing behind him, but Steve’s attention didn’t waver. He ignored the stirrings of the rest of the crew, doubtless eager to see how the man out of time would respond. “I gotta problem with anybody admirin’ anybody without askin’ – and I sure as fuck gotta problem with it when it makes the other party fuckin’ pale—”

“Steve,” CJ interrupted, coming up behind him and putting a hand on his elbow. “I’m okay. I’ve been called worse.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t make this into an issue, please.”

It was the touch that halted his objection. Steve turned slightly, so that he was angled more towards the young man. “You sure, faireoir?” He hadn’t used the Gaelic word before, but it slipped off his tongue easily. CJ nodded, his eyes solemn. “Okay.” Steve nodded once to seal the bargain, then looked back to Martinez. Though Steve didn’t realize it in the moment, he was wearing what his teammates had dubbed Captain America’s Eyebrows of Disappointment – and it seemed just as effective at cowing Martinez as it had against recalcitrant SHIELD agents.

Dorsey ambled over, a StarkPad in his hand. “We gonna have a problem here, gentlemen?”

“No problem,” Steve said, his eyes on Martinez. “We were just having a philosophical discussion.” 

“Discuss on your own time,” Dorsey advised. “I got girders need shifting. Thor, you’re up.” He gestured at the Asgardian, who fell into step behind him. Martinez glared once more at Steve before turning to follow the team lead.

CJ waited until they were relatively private – the other members of the team had pulled away to their own tasks. “It’s not worth making a fuss over,” he told the supersoldier quietly.

“It is,” Steve argued. “You shouldn’t… it ain’t fair, people makin’ ya uncomf’table, kiddo. Just ain’t.”

“I know that.” CJ smiled a little. He leaned into Steve for a moment, resting his forehead against the broad shoulder. Steve tipped his head to the side so that he could press his cheek against CJ’s silky blond hair, relishing that show of trust. “It’s really sweet that you want to defend me, sciath ceartaiseach – but don’t. I can handle it.”

Reluctantly, Steve nodded. “S’hard,” Steve murmured. “Not just ‘cause I know he was makin’ you queasy but – he was suggestin’ that I – that it bothered me ‘cause he’s a man, and you’re…”

“I know that too.” CJ straightened up, lifting his hand to Steve’s cheek. “You know if you start talking about men liking men, it’ll turn to your sergeant. You’re not ready to have that conversation with the press, Steve. You and I both know that.”

“Yeah.” Steve sighed.

CJ patted his cheek before pulling away. “Back to work, big guy. Can’t let Thor get all the superhero glory, can you? Misty would never let you live it down.”

As they walked back to where Dorsey was directing the operation, neither of them noticed the photographer slinking away.

~ * ~


End file.
